Ninjago For the Soul (Or In Case of Soulless Monsters, For the Mind)
by alleycatforthelulz
Summary: A collection of oneshots to help familiarize me with the characters and work on characterization. Current: A Fever Dream For the End of the World/It's the end of the world. Spoilers for Wrong Place, Wrong Time and the ending of Skybound but a bit of canon divergence. Alternatively, timelines don't just disappear, they MERGE.
1. Lloyd Garmadon and the Crush Curse

**Title:** **Lloyd Garmadon and the Crush Curse**

 **Summary: Because it sounds like a Harry Potter book. Alternatively, ****Lloyd has a bunch of crushes and is adorable.**

 **Character: ****Lloyd**

 **Pairings: ****A bunch of Lloyd ones. (Also OT3.)**

 **Theme:** **Love (Or in this case, Crush)**

 **Words: ****3416**

 **Warnings: Mild language (no curse words are fully said), mention of the "intercourse" using that exact word, headcannons ahoy, that boy is bi-bi-bi (or ace is cool too yo), lenny face, memes, I had a lot of fun writing this**

 **Note:** **This will be a collection of oneshots to help me with characterization. Sometimes I use themes, sometimes I don't. It can be AU, canon, or canon divergent. If you have an idea, PM me. This isn't a pairings collection either so expect to see a lot of family relationships and bonding; this idea just happened to be the first I wrote. I'm working on my actual AU-fic while writing these oneshots so please be aware that there is no set update schedule. Please leave feedback on what I did right or wrong. No criticism is too harsh but "you suck" is not criticism. Thanks for reading this note and I hope you enjoy the oneshot! I tried to keep it light and funny but some angst snuck in there. :)**

* * *

It was a well-known fact that Lloyd got crushes easily. It was so well-known that it soon became an inside joke after Lloyd officially joined the team. After becoming celebrities, it ascended the ranks of humble inside joke to the staggering might of meme. The term #LloydCrushes was trending for weeks.

The ninja thought it was hilarious, Lloyd was not so amused, and Wu still didn't understand what a meme was.

* * *

Lloyd's first crush was, unsurprisingly, Nya. She was the only girl in the group which had mattered at the time to his kid-ish mind. The world was black and white, heroes got with the girl, and obviously he was the hero.

Even he had to admit, he never stood a chance.

Nya was pretty, beautiful even. She was smart and funny and she spent time with him when the ninja were away. It seemed logical, at the time, that he would have a crush on her and he could see why Jay liked her so much. In reality, in Cole's words after his own Nya fiasco, Lloyd was crushing (not in love, ew) on the _idea_ of Nya, not Nya herself.

It was the day of the Traveler's Tea debacle when Lloyd finally confessed his feelings to Nya. She had smiled then and politely turned him down. Lloyd wasn't really as hurt as he thought he would be and then went off to play videogames. They both had a good laugh about it though.

"Maybe if you were a few years older, half-pint," Nya had teased. Irony was fickle thing.

* * *

Lloyd's second crush happened when the ninja found out about his first. Whole segments of time went into the careful planning of sentences that would lead up to the punchline: "Lloyd had a crush on N-ya." To say Lloyd was miserable was an understatement.

Jay was the ringleader of the teasing with Kai and Cole quickly following suit. The teasing, while annoying, was never spiteful or mean. In fact, it seemed like something an older sibling would do to a younger one—or was it the other way around? Comics had never prepared Lloyd for any of this.

The only amusement Lloyd found through the whole ordeal was the way that Jay would eye him as he joked with Nya or how Kai got this funny look on his face whenever Lloyd's old crush was mentioned. Honestly, the two worried over Nya so much that Lloyd wasn't very surprised when Nya finally put her foot down on the topic.

Throughout it all, Zane watched from the sidelines. Sometimes the nindroid would chuckle at a particularly funny joke or offer a sympathetic smile at Lloyd, but other than that, he was merely an observer. It made sense, then, that Lloyd would start to hang out with him more often.

Lloyd expected it to be calm and meditative, which it was. What he never expected were the butterflies in his stomach or his wildly beating heart. Lloyd was confused and mildly concerned that he may be having an allergic reaction to the nindroid.

When Zane pulled him aside one day and told him that while he was flattered Lloyd had feelings for him, he didn't feel the same, Lloyd finally understood. And then promptly died of embarrassment. He couldn't look Zane in the eye for weeks after but they still hung out regularly.

Somehow, someway, Jay found out. Jay always found out. If Lloyd never heard another "Lloyd and Zane, sitting in a tree," it would be too soon. To make matters worse, Zane and Pixal were _hot_ together. Life was unfair with its unnaturally hot robots.

* * *

Later, the reporters would ask about his previous crushes and how his family felt when he "came out." Lloyd would reply that there was never any need. Being raised to be evil since birth, Lloyd naturally went against society in everything. Being bi was just another thing on his checklist to, as his father would have said, "rebel against the system."

Zane was a nindroid and didn't seem to understand the social stigma behind the whole "omf, Lloyd is gay" the media was trying to spew. Love was love and Zane also never understood why the others would snicker every time he said it or how Jay would choke out, "I see no difference." People were confusing and no amount of switch flipping would change that.

Cole's father was a barber and Cole himself had attended dance school since he was little. He had his own fair amount of gay jokes and couldn't be bothered by it. Lloyd was the responsible, laid-back, and childish team leader who still read comic books like clockwork and that's all that mattered.

Jay had grown up in a junk yard and had recently found out he was adopted to boot. He never had any friends growing up and was labeled "the weird kid." He would have been more offended and horrified if Lloyd had said that _Starfarer_ was the worst franchise to ever exist than Lloyd being bi. Besides, he had enough horror stories from his parents' childhood; they used to check people out _together_.

Kai and Nya had to take care of themselves after their parents' passing. They had learned early on that excluding people over trivial things made for bad company and bad business. The idea that Lloyd was bi just slid off them like water off duck feathers. It was there and it didn't bother them and they went on in life. The only problem was the fangirls but Kai had really brought that on himself.

* * *

Lloyd's third crush was Jay and no one was to know _ever_. It was after they had defeated the Overlord for the first time but before they had taken on the job as teachers. They were helping rebuild Ninjago City and kept the peace. It was on a regular patrol through the city when Lloyd spotted the bank robbery.

He wasted no time in apprehending the criminals by himself. His victory was still sending waves of confidence through him and he didn't bother phoning the others in. He admitted that he deserved the blow to the head for turning his back to the body.

Lloyd went down like a sack of potatoes and had no time to defend himself as the criminal bore down on him. Luckily, that's when Jay swooped in.

"Ninja go!" the blue ninja shouted as his spinning tornado plowed into robber. The robber did not get back up and Jay relaxed his stance. He turned to where Lloyd had fallen and offered the green ninja a hand.

"You okay?" Jay asked but what Lloyd heard in a brilliant action-to-trope association was, "Are you okay my sweet prince?" The image of Jay in knight's armor sitting atop a white horse flashed through his head and Lloyd was mortified at himself.

Ignoring the hand, the criminal, and the robber, Lloyd fled the scene without another word. He vowed to never again stay up late watching romantic comedies with Nya. Jay watched in confusion as the green ninja disappeared from sight.

"Okaaaay… that was weird."

That night at dinner, Jay had ended up laughing so hard that milk shot out his nose and Lloyd's "knight vision" shattered. Lloyd had never been more grateful for lame jokes and milk in his life.

(Somehow, someway, Jay never found out. Jay would _never_ find out.)

* * *

Lloyd was never sure if his fourth crush could actually be called a crush. It was more an awkward mix of sweaty workouts and "oh no, he's hot."

Sundays were, unanimously, a free day to do whatever you want. The ninja could train, play videogames, or go out whenever they pleased. Also unanimously, the weight room was to be avoided at all costs at noon. Lloyd never understood why until he decided to investigate.

Lloyd had gone in to work on his arm strength. In the last fight, he felt that his right arm was lagging behind and that he was relying too heavily on his left. He was in the middle of his workout when Cole entered.

They spared at quick nod at each other before focusing back on their own training. Lloyd huffed as he pulled the weight up with his right arm and glanced over at Cole. He nearly dropped the weight on his foot.

Cole had taken his shirt off sometime between the door and the middle of his workout and Lloyd openly gawked at his chest. He knew the ninja had abs, it came with the job, and he knew Cole was physically the strongest, it came with the earth powers, but _what_. Sweat glistened on the earth ninja's body and Lloyd could faintly hear the grunts and pants that came from him.

Lloyd snapped his gaze back to the weight in his hand and tried to focus on his weight training. He could feel his face redden as he failed spectacularly at keeping his eyes to himself. Furtively glancing at Cole, Lloyd's eyes transfixed on a single bead of sweat as it traveled down, down, down—

The green ninja hastily ended his training session and exited the room. Once out of the doorway, he practically ran to the game room. Slamming the door open and shut behind him, he sank down on the couch next to Zane. Jay glanced up curiously from his videogame. Kai didn't even bother to turn around from his spot next to Jay.

"Cole," Kai quipped, unleashing a quick combo on Jay's character. Jay cursed and retaliated with his own.

"He can't—" Lloyd said. Zane patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"We know," Kai droned. **WINNER! P1!** the screen announced. Jay gave a shriek of annoyance.

"He can't just _do_ that."

"We know."

"That's illegal!"

"We _know._ "

"I believe it is my turn," Zane said as Jay screamed, "Rematch!"

* * *

Lloyd could never tell if Chamille was his fifth crush or his first girlfriend, as they never discussed their relationship. While many of the elemental masters had returned home after the battle, Chamille was one of the few who had decided to stay behind for a few days to help rebuild New Ninjago City. Again. Seriously, either the city was cursed or built atop an old burial ground.

It was during a lunch break when Chamille approached him.

"Hey greenie," Kai smirked. Lloyd looked at him in confusion before understanding dawned on him.

"Hey Chamille," he greeted the Master of Form easily. The two had started a rocky friendship in the time after the battle and had quickly become good friends.

Chamille, Lloyd learned, took sarcasm on as armor and was hilarious to listen to. Her impersonations were spot-on (obviously) and just as fun to watch. She was dangerous and fun and would mercilessly crush you if you got in her way. Lloyd didn't know if wanted to stay as far away as possible or be crushed.

"So you know we just rebuilt the diner on New Fifth Street," Chamille said. Lloyd nodded and gestured for her to continue. "Well, guess who's going on a date there."

That was another thing Lloyd learned. Chamille didn't ask. And Lloyd was oddly okay with it.

"Time?" he laughed. Chamille smiled and her tense stance fell away.

"Be ready," was her answer, laughter in her eyes. That was yet another thing Lloyd learned. Chamille didn't laugh with her mouth when she meant it, she laughed with her eyes. The more Lloyd learned about Chamille the more he fell for the dangerous Master.

"Okay," he said. Their date was started five minutes later and they both enjoyed lunch together.

* * *

It was mutually agreed to break it off by both of them. Chamille had to return home to her parents and Lloyd had his ninja duties to attend to. It wouldn't be so bad if Chamille lived close to the city but she lived half-way across Ninjago. They both knew that their lives would be too chaotic and busy for any stable relationship to survive long distance. And so, they broke it off.

Lloyd saw her off with an empty feeling in his heart and wondered what could have been. Chamille smiled awkwardly at him before boarding the bus that would take her home. She climbed the first step before spinning around to give him a fleeting kiss. She raced up the steps and the bus doors closed with finality before Lloyd could even say, "Goodbye."

* * *

Lloyd was sure he was cursed. Cursed to forever crush on the people around him in new and embarrassing ways. When he eventually confided to the others, they laughed at the idea.

"Lloyd Garmadon and the Crush Curse," Kai snickered. Lloyd rolled his eyes but couldn't help but grin. Zane looked fairly amused.

"No, Lloyd Garmadon and the Curse of Crushes!" Jay giggled.

"Same thing."

"No, you see—"

"Okay, that's enough," Cole said, finally stepping in. He smiled good-naturedly at Lloyd who returned it. "It's about time for bed, anyway."

It took a while but all the boys were eventually settled into bed. Lloyd was glad that the others hadn't taken it too far. Sure they joked around, but they knew when to stop. Or more accurately, Cole knew when to warn them to stop.

"Oh," Zane said suddenly, piquing the other ninja's interest. "Pixal has just informed me of an important point. Has anyone talked to Lloyd about sexual intercourse yet?"

A beat of silence encased the room before Kai and Jay howled with laughter. Lloyd groaned and hid his beet-red face under his blanket.

"It's too late for this," Cole muttered from his bed but did nothing to stop the two as he turned to face the wall. Light snores could be heard moments after.

"What?" Zane asked. "Pixal and I thought it was a valid question. What is the joke behind this?"

Zane would never get an answer that night as Sensei Wu decided at that very moment to yell, "Go to bed!"

* * *

When Lloyd was possessed by Morro, he could finally say that his crushes came in handy.

It was funny to randomly throw an image of Cole working out or knight Jay at Morro. Sometimes the ghost would stumble from the sudden thought and fall on his face. Other times, he would stop what he was doing completely and blankly stare forward. His servants watched him with concerned looks.

"You have a problem," Morro finally told him. Lloyd mentally grinned at him.

When they next saw Kai, Morro almost gave a groan of despair while Lloyd gave the mental equivalent of a nervous chuckle. It seemed that Lloyd had found his newest crush.

* * *

Lloyd watched the TV like one might watch a train wreck. You knew that a carnage filled disaster waited for you at the end, but you watched anyway.

"Green Ninja! May we have a moment!" a reporter screeched, shoving a microphone into TV-Lloyd's face. The camera chose at that moment to zoom in on his face, making the annoyance that lined it stand out sharper. "We've heard rumors that you've been seeing someone behind the Master of Form's back. Is there any truth to this claim?"

TV-Lloyd sighed tiredly. They had just caught him after a particularly long patrol, Lloyd remembered, and he remembered thinking at the time that he just wanted to go home.

"First, me and Chamille have been over for a while. Second, who I decide to date is none of your business."

"But sir!" TV-Lloyd made a face at the title. "The public is itching for answers! We all want to know—"

Lloyd remembered how frustrated and exhausted he been as the words tumbled out his mouth. "Look m'am, whether or not I have a girlfriend or boyfriend isn't—"

"Boyfriend?!" the reporter shrieked excitedly. TV-Lloyd seemed to realize his mistake as he fumbled on screen, searching for a way out. "Now you have to answer! Who, what, where, when?!"

"Shi—"

Lloyd turned the TV off.

* * *

It wasn't that crushing on Kai was horrible or anguishing. It was annoying and exhausting. Two months had passed since the Preeminent had been defeated and the ninja had become celebrities. Two months and he was _still_ crushing on Kai.

It wouldn't have been so bad if they had stayed the same after the Preeminent's defeat. But they had become celebrities, and with becoming a celebrity there came one dreaded thing: fangirls. The media was also a nightmare to deal with and don't get him started on Kai's newest obsession, Chirp.

But the worst part, the absolute worst, was the _shipping_. He didn't know how. He didn't know why. But apparently if you were a band of five boys with one girl, the shipping went rampant. Not to mention the, Lloyd shuddered, OC's and self-inserts. He didn't want to tread on any toes or hurt any feelings but…

And now they were shipping him. With Kai. It was called "Greenflamme" or something like that. It was a weird ship name but "Kloyd" or "Lai" sounded infinitely worse. At least the others weren't magically exempt from it either.

"Bruiseshipping" was rather popular and it would have been funny if Jay and Cole hadn't been so weird lately. So was Nya, now that Lloyd thought about it. He really didn't know what was going on with that trio and really didn't want to find out.

Lloyd complained about the shipping. Constantly. It was starting to grate on everyone's nerves and Cole was ready to pull the kid aside for some leaderly advice consisting of, "Don't annoy the people who are going to be watching your back." It was during one of these complaining bouts that Kai finally snapped.

"I mean, I'm not completely useless. I defeated the Overlord and—"

"And then you got kidnapped, drained, possessed, yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it," the fire ninja rattled off. A flash of hurt crossed Lloyd's face as he opened his mouth to argue but Kai steamplowed on. "You also gave up your childhood, had to fight against your father, gave away your powers, had to banish your father, the list goes on. If a few fans can't see the sacrifices you made, then they don't deserve you."

Lloyd was speechless. The fire ninja was pleased and accepted the high-fives from the other ninja. The green ninja tried to speak but his mouth had forgotten how to make words.

"Oh, and by the way," Kai continued, obviously enjoying Lloyd's dumbstruck expression. "I love you and all kid but you're not my type, sorry. I heard through the grapevine that a certain Master of Form is coming down to vacation in New Ninjago City."

"All summer," Jay added, wiggling his eyebrows.

"How did you—"

"You talk in your sleep," Zane spoke up, though laughter laced his words. "Last time you mentioned something along the lines of, 'Hot robots.'"

"Knight Jay," Jay chortled. The blue ninja reached across the table and snagged Lloyd's hand, placing a dainty kiss on the back of it. "At your service my dear prince."

Lloyd looked despairingly over at Cole. The earth ninja, for his part, hadn't so much as uttered a peep. The two locked eyes and Cole did his best to keep a neutral expression.

"Abs," he deadpanned. As if that word were the breaking point, the table erupted into hysterics. Nya and Sensei Wu, hearing the noise, went to investigate, took one look in the room, and left.

Lloyd gasped with laughter as tears streamed down his face. He had never been happier for his crush curse.

* * *

"GUYS!" Lloyd's furious screams could be heard throughout the Bounty. "WHY AM I A MEME?"

Lloyd's laptop screen was pulled up to Chirp where a list of Chirps could be seen.

 ** _supah-fiyahmaster004_ tfw yo crush game too strong #LloydCrushes**

 ** _fearisntaword_ goodnight my sweet prince #LloydCrushes**

 ** _caterpillareyebrows_ look at your man, now look at my abs. #LloydCrushes**

 ** _caterpillareyebrows_ alright, who changed my username.**

 ** _caterpillareyebrows_ fearisntaword you are dead to me jay. #ColeCrushes**

 ** _samuraiXninja_ caterpillareyebrows actually, it was me. ;)**

 ** _samuraiXninja_ also, i feel honored to have green ninja-approved boyfriends. #LloydCrushes**

 ** _ZaneJulien_ This is rather silly but if I must.**

 ** _ZaneJulien_ Hot robots. #LloydCrushes**

 ** _Pugnacious_Intrepid_Xenodochial_Android_Lady_ ****Zane is mine but you have good taste.** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) #LloydCrushes**

 ** _ZaneJulien_ ****Pugnacious_Intrepid_Xenodochial_Android_Lady ****Pixal no.**

 ** _Pugnacious_Intrepid_Xenodochial_Android_Lady_ ****ZaneJulien Pixal yes. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 ** _fearisntaword_ lol get rekt son**

 ** _supah-fiyahmaster004_ here come dat droid B)**

 ** _fearisntaword_ oh hoop wat up**

 ** _lloydthegreenninja_ i hate you all.**

Lloyd loved his family.


	2. They Say, Go Slow

**Title:** **They Say, Go Slow**

 **Summary:** **(But everything just stands so still.) Alternatively, ten year-old Kai has no idea who this weird old man is and suddenly skeletons.**

 **Character:** **Kai**

 **Pairings:** **None.**

 **Theme:** **Introduction**

 **Words:** **3047**

 **Warning:** **Child endangerment, kidnapping, minor character death (but don't worry, it happened before story), possible headcannons as to what the heck happened to Kai and Nya's parents (see above warning), what is the Ninjago-equivalent of CPS doing, whose child is this, this came out of nowhere**

 **Note:** **I don't know for sure if this is the age-swap AU I thought up (the ninja are smol children and Lloyd is big brother, yes) or if this is an AU where the ninja get together earlier than in canon. Either way, it became an angst smorgasbord. Who knew children were such delicate creatures? :) I'm tentatively calling this the Minijago verse and will possibly write more since I like it so much. Tell me if you want to read more and if you think Lloyd should be aged up, be the same age as, or still be younger than the ninja. I don't know, just something about Big Bro Lloyd™ makes me happy…**

 **Also, please don't get used to regular updates. It just happens that I had a lot of writing time this week and it's summer. Sorry but I don't want anyone getting their hopes up. I'm also sorry if Kai is OOC, I tried to factor in the fact that he's only ten so his personality wouldn't be as solid as in the show.**

* * *

Kai Smith was a very good boy and an even better big brother. He was also an awesome fighter, even if Nya said that fighting off a stray dog that had gotten into the trash didn't count. It had white stuff around its mouth and totally had rabies. Just because Nya had thrown out some cake earlier that day didn't mean anything. It totally counted.

Staring into the red eyes of Samukai, the skeleton general of the Overlord, Kai got the feeling that none of that really mattered.

The day had started off normally enough. Kai got up early to set up the shop and clean up the dust that had collected on some of their more costly goods. Nya was still asleep, a fact that she would complain about later, and Kai let her. She was only eight, after all, and he was ten. He could get up early and stay up late if he wanted to.

Kai stood in front of the rice paper door and pondered for a moment. On one hand, if he opened up shop today, there could be customers. Customers meant money which they sorely needed. On the other hand, those weird people could show up again. They had appeared a few months after Dad's death and were constantly asking about him and how the siblings were. It was annoying and weird and Kai didn't like it at all. But _money_.

In the end, Kai decided to open the store anyway. Nya was still snoozing and most customers visit during the day or late evening, if at all. Yawning to himself as he settled behind the counter, the boy prepared to wait through a very long (and very boring) day.

* * *

It was late evening when the strange old man appeared, like Kai had predicted earlier. His beard was fairly long and Kai wondered if he would be allowed to touch it. Then Kai threw that thought out the window because that was a thought for an eight year-old like Nya and Kai was clearly ten.

Kai was extremely excited but he tried not to show it. The old man had a staff so it was possible that he was looking for a sharper weapon. Or one that wouldn't break so easily, at the least.

The boy tried to keep his face as impassive as possible, Nya quickly following suit. His dad had taught them that most people that came looking to buy a weapon weren't looking for pleasantries (whatever those were). They came for business and business was cut throat. You were to spare no mercy to the customer and when it came to the price, the customer was usually wrong.

The old man turned his attention from a samurai suit tacked on the wall to the two siblings. He smiled down at them, the corners of his eyes wrinkling at the action.

"Hello, Kai. Hello, Nya. You two have grown since I've last seen you," he greeted, breaking their expressionless masks and turning them into one of confusion. Kai had never seen this man before, much less met him.

"W-who are you," the boy asked, swallowing harshly. Nya moved from her spot on the floor to stand cautiously beside him. He would rather she stood behind him but he knew better than to remove his gaze from the old man.

"It is good to see that you have enough sense to be wary of strangers," the old man answered. Kai hated when adults did that, answering questions with answers that didn't answer the question like kids weren't smart enough to know that their answer wasn't really an answer at all.

Kai thought that if he heard the word 'answer' one more time, even in his head, he might scream.

"But you do not need to be afraid of me, children," he continued. "I am an old friend of your father and have simply come to collect an item I had left here a long time ago. Where is he, by the way? Surely he would not leave you two unattended for long…"

The old man trailed off as he watched Kai's face pale. Kai had had to explain his father's death before, to close family friends and Nya, and it had been a nightmare to go through. Especially Nya, since he could tell she wanted to cry but didn't want to appear weak. He had grabbed her and held her close then but he didn't think he could do that for the old man standing in front of him.

Besides, was it really okay to tell such an old man bad news like this? Wasn't there a chance of him going into shock or having a heart attack? That's what the grown-ups had worried about when they went to tell Mr. Crichet anyway.

"He's not here anymore," Nya said with a soft voice. Her eyes burned brightly though, from what, Kai couldn't tell.

The boy squared his shoulders, tilted his head back, and met the old man's sad face. Nya shouldn't be the one to tell this stranger about their father, that was Kai's job. He was the older brother, after all.

"If you were looking for him, you should have come earlier. Try a couple of months ago," he growled, daring the old man to say something. And say something he did.

"You are right. I should have come months earlier, when I knew the item had to be collected. It is only my confidence that your father would be here that kept me from coming." The old man bowed his head, suddenly looking his age. Kai was startled at the quick change and worried that the old man was actually going to keel over in shock. He didn't want to add 'guilt-tripped an elderly man to death' to his resume.

Before the boy could say anything though, an abrupt chorus of crashing and clattering from the outside. Glancing around the old man, Kai's eyes widened at the sight before him. The sky was dark and blanketed with black clouds while the ground housed an army of skeletons. He heard Nya gasp from beside him—she had seen it too.

"Go call the police," Kai barked at her, too frightened to tone his harshness down. Nya seemed to understand though and speedily sprinted to the 'house' side of the shop.

He swallowed thickly and went to grab the sword Dad had made for him for his tenth birthday. He tried to ignore the shaking of his hands as he readjusted his grip. Just as he was about to make his way out of the shop, the old man stepped in front of him.

"No, you must not," the old man said sternly. His green eyes bore into Kai's and Kai felt smaller than when Dad had used the same trick on him years before. The old man nodded, like Kai had said something agreeable.

"Good, stay here and hide. I will be done in a moment." And then the old man leapt out of the frying pan and into the fire, as Dad would have said.

Kai focused on finding a hiding spot but there was nowhere to hide except under the very counter he stood at. He crawled underneath it and hoped that Nya would have enough sense to stay hidden in the backroom. While his sister was very smart, smarter than him, she was also very stubborn and had trouble staying on the sidelines.

The clattering of bones and thud of footsteps caught the boy's attention. Two voices started murmuring to each other and he knew that two skeletons must have snuck inside. His breath caught in his throat and he pressed himself harder against the counter.

There was a crash, the sound of yelling, and another crash before it went silent. Kai started to count to one-hundred but he was barely at twenty-eight when the pattering of footsteps sounded from the backroom. He didn't even have time to scream out a warning before Nya poked her head out the back door.

Her eyes grew big in fear and Kai was sick with dread. His mouth was open but no sound came out, a silent scream stuck in his throat. The moment teetered on itself as the silence seemed to press in from all sides, engulfing them. It was shattered as a maniacal cackle filled the air as Nya's screams completed the sick duet.

Kai was frozen as he watched his sister try to run away. His chest hurt in a funny way and he thought he wasn't breathing at first. But his chest was rising and falling quickly, perhaps too quickly. What was it the adults called it? Hyperventilation? He was going into shock, he realized. Maybe he shouldn't have been so worried about the old man earlier.

The old man! _Nya!_ Forgetting the mayhem that was happening around him for a moment, Kai scrambled out from beneath the counter like it was on fire. He raced out of the shop and stopped in horror as she was forced inside some strange bone car by two skeletons.

"Nya!" he shrieked. Ignoring the remaining skeletons, he sprinted to the car, intent on rescuing his sister. He barely got two feet before he was suddenly yanked upwards by the back of his shirt.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," a low voice crooned in his ear. Kai's feet dangled above the ground and he struggled against the hold. The voice laughed sinisterly and he was turned around to face his captor.

Staring into the red eyes of Samukai, Kai was suddenly reminded of the time he had chased away a stray dog that was raiding their trash. The dog had taken one look at Kai, sniffed curiously, and trotted away without a care in the world. He didn't even have the decency to growl. Samukai was not a stray dog.

"Ninja GO!" the shout rang through the air as the old man materialized over Samukai's shoulder, a spinning maelstrom of pain. At least Kai thought it was the old man inside the tornado before he was thrown to the ground.

"Retreat!" the general yelled as light swam across Kai's eyelids. The thrumming of a motor sounded as the cars roared away into the night—with his sister, he realized too late.

The boy went to push himself up but found himself being gently carried by the old man. Kai was suddenly furious at the old man and couldn't help the scream of rage that boiled out of him. He was punching and shouting obscenities before he could stop himself. To his chagrin, tears were beginning to leak out of his eyes.

"IT WAS ALL YOUR FAULT THAT THEY TOOK HER! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE GUARDING US, PROTECTING US, AND YOU FAILED! NOW THEY HAVE HER AND SHE'S GONE! SHE'S GONE, GO-ne, go… ne…"

He was crying. The reality had struck him like a thunderclap. He was crying and Nya was gone and Dad was dead and everything was awful. It had been awful ever since Dad died and he promised himself he wouldn't cry anymore. He was only ten and he wasn't ready to face the world yet but it seemed like it was already knocking on his door.

The old man was silent as he held him, rubbing a comforting hand up and down his back. Kai was abruptly reminded of Mom even if he had only been four when she died. She and Nya had gotten sick and they didn't have enough money to get medicine for the both of them. She had said that she was fine and to give medicine to Nya but she hadn't been fine at all.

She died the week after and Kai was inconsolable. He felt angry but he didn't know what at. He should've been angry at Nya, his toddler mind had thought, but he couldn't bring himself to be angry at the baby his mom had given up so much to save. Nya had been so small and fragile and he had been scared that she would die and he'd lose her too. Now she was gone and it was all his fault for not standing up to the stupid skeletons in the first place. He sobbed harder.

If Dad had been here, he would've saved Nya. Kai was sure of it. His dad had been a samurai when he was younger and Ninjago was much wilder. Dad had eventually settled down when he met Mom and had Kai, opening up a shop to sell the various weapons he had collected on his travels. Dad learned how to make weapons of his own from the local blacksmith when his collection began to run out and Kai had always wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Dad had died in an accident at the local mine. He had went down to pick up the newest shipment of metal ore and coal when a wayward explosion caused a cave-in. The miners further inside the cave were fine when they were dug out a week later. The people at the front of the mine? Not so much. They were crushed by the falling debris and slowly bleed to death, if not killed instantly. Kai remembered pondering about his father that day and how he was late, how a neighbor had run into the shop and knelt down to look Kai in the eyes and tell him his father had passed. He didn't remember what happened after that but suddenly Nya was in front of him and he was saying something before pulling her close. Nya hadn't cried after that day, too.

"I don't know what to do." His voice sounded like pieces of broken glass, cracked and jagged and too sharp to touch without fear of bleeding. His heart felt like magma in chest, dripping into his insides and melting them away until only a husk was left. He wished he was a husk, maybe the skeletons would have been so busy laughing at him that they would have ignored Nya.

The old man's hand stalled on his back. Gently, he set Kai back down on his feet before kneeling to look in his eye. Kai flashed back to the day of the accident and was prepared for the old man to give him the speech of leaving it to the police and asking where his parents where. It never came.

"My name is Wu," he started. "And I am truly sorry about your sister. I did not know she was being taken until it was too late—but that will not change the past, will it? No, I cannot change the past… but perhaps I can change the future."

Kai looked at the old man in confusion. His cheeks were tear-stained, his throat burned from crying, and his eyes were still watery. He sniffled through his stuffy nose and vaguely felt wet snot begin to drip out his nostrils. Wu looked at him expectantly.

"What…" he began, cleared his throat, and restarted. "What do you mean? Change the future? How?"

Wu slowly reached forward and wiped Kai's cheeks clean, then his nose. Kai openly stared at him now in wonder and possibly a bit of awe. Giving the boy's nose one last swipe, Wu appeared satisfied with his work and continued.

"I am a master of Spinjitsu, an ancient ninja art dating back to the First Spinjitsu Master. I could train you in the art and assist you in rescuing your sister. The training will be long and difficult but you will come out stronger at the end of it." Wu paused, seeming to think something over, before going on. "I have three other students who each have their own troubled past. Together, you could become a strong team, possibly strong enough to beat Samukai and his minions. Now Kai, will you come with me?"

It seemed like something out of a storybook Dad used to read them when they were little-er. There was no way this old man was offering to train him as a ninja to beat a legion of skeletal warriors to rescue his sister alongside three other boys he had never met before. This was crazy. He might have been excited under different circumstances.

"Yes," he blurted out. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Anything to save my sister, to save Nya."

Wu nodded, like he expected that. The old man, now his teacher, Kai marveled, stood up and looked at the approaching dawn. The sunlight peeked through the clouds as if testing to see if it was safe before fully flooding in. He nodded again, as if coming to a conclusion, before holding his hand out to Kai.

"Time to go," Wu said, still holding his hand out. Kai stared at it in befuddlement before understanding that Wu was waiting for him to hold it. With an embarrassed blush, the boy quickly grabbed the out-stretched hand and glanced away. Wu smiled fondly at him.

"I'm not a little kid, I don't need to hold hands," Kai muttered though his tight grip said otherwise. Wu's amused look grew even more amused at the words. He made sure to return the boy's tight grip as he gave a reassuring squeeze.

Kai didn't know what was in store for the future. His only family, gone, and now he was traveling with a weird old man in order to learn some strange technique he had never heard of before in order to become a ninja and rescue said family. He knew it would be tough and that he would miss Nya terribly. Nightmares were almost assured.

But oddly, in the light of the rising sun, he felt no fear at all. He felt determined and full of anticipation for the day the skeletons would pay for messing with the Smiths. He didn't know who these other kids were or even if they were kids but he knew that he would do anything, stomach anyone, in order to see Nya again. With that thought in mind, Kai never glanced back at his old home as he followed his new Sensei towards what would in time become his new home.

Watch out evil, fire burns but Kai burned brighter.


	3. The Miraculous Adventures of Six Idiots

**Title:** **The Miraculous Adventures of Six Idiots**

 **Summary:** **MIRACULOUS. SIMPLY THE BEST. UP TO THE TEST WHEN THINGS GO WRONG. Alternatively, the oneshot that more than doubles my word count.**

 **Character:** **Basically all the Ninja, with Lloyd being a special case.**

 **Pairings:** **Jaya (I want my OT3 so bad.)**

 **Theme/Inspiration:** **Miraculous Ladybug**

 **Words:** **14,756**

 **Warnings:** **Violence, Family Issues, Mild Language *shakes hand at Kai*, Zane's part got really sad and contemplative on the shortness of life and I didn't want that but it's there, gratuitous use of the word 'miraculous', sanic reference, Jojo reference, Sailor Moon reference, there are a lot of anime references, I turned Jay into anime trash and can't even be bothered to be ashamed, how does Chat Noir's ears stick to his head bc it's happening to Kai now, Cole's hair, I'm sorry Cole but you're just so fun to pick on, unpopular opinion on the Ninjago equivalent of _Teen Titans Go!_ , Thigh Highs, Jay and Zane and Nya aren't putting up with gendered clothes BS**

 **Notes:** **This is an accurate representation of me.**

 **Me, sitting down to write this: Oh, this'll be fun!**

 **Me, passing 5k: Ok, it's longer than I thought. That's fine! It's means I'm getting better at writing more. :)**

 **Me, at page 24 and still no action scene in sight, metaphorical house burning down around me: thiS IS FINE. :):):)**

 **Me, surpassing 10k, waiting for the yawning pit of hell to swallow me whole: End me.**

 **This turned out long. So long. Nothing will ever be this long again, I swear. I know that may disappoint some but jfc this took days to finish when all I wanted to do was drop dead.**

 **On another note, THIS IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT. There are some details I couldn't explain in the story without breaking the flow so I'll put them here. The school system is based off of my experiences, which means there are four core classes with three elective slots and one PE-based slot. The PE slot is free after two (it used to be three but it got bumped down) years of it. Jay and Nya are freshmen with the rest of the ninja, except Lloyd, being sophomores. Kai is taking two math classes (explained in-story), the freshmen Algebra I and sophomore Geometry. Cole has no electives since he transferred from an art school. I have no idea how art school works in the real world but I figured in Ninjago, which is a pretty silly place, it would be one of those demanding ones that threw everything to the wayside. So Cole has plenty art and PE credits to be able to take both freshmen and sophomore core classes to catch up. That means that both Kai and Cole share at least one class with Jay and Nya. Zane, the freaking nerd, is in all the advanced classes.**

 **Another thing you need to know is about Zane's hakama. Since I couldn't explain it any other way in story without sounding to AN-ish, I'll explain it here. It a sort of, to my best explanation, trouser-like garment pulled over ones kimono. Think priestess; she wears a white kimono with a red hakama over it. I'm not a total expert so I'm sorry if I'm being culturally insensitive. It was researched on the fly and I can understand if I missed some things. Please let me know if this happens.**

 **I'm also sorry if my action scene falls flat. I find action scenes hard to write and have never written a full one before. I tried to incorporate elements of both Ninjago and Miraculous Ladybug, although I gave the ninja a few more powers than in the ML verse. It functions like so: small powers can be used frequently, medium powers can be used twice before they completely drain the user, and large powers can only be used once before they drain the user completely. The only ones to showcase all three are Jay and Nya. They need to say the move name to use the medium and large moves but not the small ones. The boys just shout it out because they like calling their attacks. Kai also gets ears like Chat's and Jay gets fairy wings. Cole was also going to get something but moles don't have visible ears, sadly.**

 **I debated on adding Echo but felt like Zane needed some company. I'll probably add Echo in more oneshots to come because I feel bad for him and he's rather adorable to watch. Please bring him back in NS7 or at least explain more of his backstory. Dr. Julien sounds like a horrible person but it's understandable that he'd build himself some company when stuck in the middle of the ocean. But seriously, wtf Dr. Julien.**

 **Jay's thigh highs don't make a lot of sense until you remember the episode where the ninja were trying to find out who the samurai was. Jay dressed up as a girl and laid down on some train tracks in order to be a 'damsel in distress.' What was he wearing in that episode? Thigh highs. I just thought it was hilarious.**

 **Cole's outfit (and partially his superhero name) is a reference to the obscure videogame _Contact_ which had an outfit called Knuckle Mole. Don't try to search for the outfit that inspired it because you'll probably find nothing or some rather adult-ish pictures. I'll post a link to an image of the costume on my profile. It's rather easy to tell which costume inspires Cole's. (There's also a horrible sanic reference but shoosh.) Three out of five on the ninja's superhero names were jokes that eventually became part of the story. I'm so sorry.**

 **Finally, on Minijago, I will be continuing oneshots of it. Just not right away. :) I also decided on the Lloyd-thing but you'll have to wait for the next oneshot to know my decision. Just know that I like the ninja as kids and will probably write more oneshots about them, both in and out of the Minijago verse.**

 **There will also be notes at the end of today's oneshot for a change. Oh, and before I forget, Zane's vision? Not all that will happen at the same time. Hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

The heat was oppressive in the tiny tea shop that resided on the corner of Fifth Street and Totallyastreetname Avenue in Ninjago City. In a city so big, you were bound to have some weird names.

A small wolf-like creature floated worriedly in the hot air while an aging man sat nearby, drinking a cup of tea. Even in this kind of weather, tea was a necessity. An ornate box laid next to the man filled with trinkets of surprising shapes: a pair of earrings, a ring, a necklace, a brooch, a bracer, and finally, in the middle, a pin.

"Calm yourself Loyin," the aging man said calmly as he poured himself another cup of tea. "Worrying over tomorrow will not change today."

"But what am I supposed to do Wu!" the wolf creature shouted exasperatedly. He stopped his anxious hovering to glare at the man. "Your brother has resurfaced after all these years, we don't have any new heroes to stop him, and _he stole Wisic._ "

Wu nodded his head sagely. "All valid points, yes. But there is nothing we can do about it now that it has already happened. We can only move on and plan our next move."

"Then what _is_ our next move?" Loyin asked nervously. He had a bad feeling about the whole thing and, honestly, Wu was one of his best Miraculous holders in a while. If Wu was implying what Loyin thought, he could only hope that the kid wasn't a brat.

"Isn't it obvious Loyin? We are going to find the new Miraculous holders."

* * *

Nya hummed to herself as the eggs sizzled in the pan beneath her. She gave one last mix with the spatula before transferring the pan to an unused burner, turning the power off on the one she had been using. While scrambled eggs weren't a very exciting breakfast, they sure were easy to cook.

"Kai," she called up the stairs. "Hurry up or we're going to be late!"

It was Nya's first day of high school at Ninjago City High. She and her brother had recently moved to Ninjago City after selling the Four Weapons blacksmith store. It had been a hard decision for the both of them but eventually the need for money became too much. Luckily, they were able to secure a small house on the outskirts of the massive city before the money problem progressed any further.

Nya was excited at the prospect of school, although Kai seemed moody about it. They had never gone to school when they were younger. Instead, they had learned the ways of blacksmithing and figured out things on their own. The city, however, stated that in order for them to own the house (and have the city help pay for it), they had to attend school.

It didn't seem like very sound, or legal, logic to her but this was a city were the password to the police's computer system was "password." This city had its own rules.

The muffled sound of crashing, followed but a muted curse, alerted her to the fact that Kai was up. There were a few more crashes before Kai stomped down the stairs. He settled on one of the kitchen chairs, hair a complete mess like it usually was, as he laid his head down on the kitchen table.

"Ffffbbbbugggg," came from the sullen figure.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Nya teased. Kai raised his head from the table to glare at her.

"How are you so disgustingly cheerful this morning?" he sulked.

Nya rolled her eyes. "It's barely seven Kai. The sun's already risen."

"Still too early."

"You ran Four Weapons for years, how are _you_ not a morning person?"

"Coffee. And lots of it."

"Well, I don't have coffee but there are eggs. Sound good to you?"

"Deal."

Nya set the finished plates down and the two dug in. The next few minutes were filled with nothing but the sound of chewing and the scraping of plates. Kai looked a bit less sullen when they finished.

Nya took the two plates and placed them in the sink. She or Kai would wash them after school, depending on who arrived home first. She walked back to the kitchen to grab her backpack and poke the sleepy mound that was Kai.

"Come on sleepyhead, school starts in thirty minutes."

Kai growled at her. "Why are we doing this again?"

"Because the city is helping us pay for this house and they determine whether we own it. Now suck it up and put on your big boy pants."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

Kai may have dragged his feet but they made it with ten minutes to spare. This may have been due to the fact that they lived only three blocks away from the school but Nya wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

It was as they were entering the doors when she noticed him. An old man was attempting to cross the street, not bothering to even look both ways. Her only thought was that the old man must have been senile as she raced back outside.

"Mister!" she screamed. "Get out of the road!"

Nya dashed through a lane of traffic to pull the old man out of the way of a speeding truck and into the adjacent lane. The vehicle roared past them without slowing down. Nya sighed in relief when honking from her left caused her to look up. A car hurtled toward them and her throat seemed to close up.

"DAMN IT!" someone screeched and Nya felt herself being tackled onto the sidewalk. The worried eyes of her brother stared down on her and she had never felt such utter relief in her whole life.

Kai's eyes narrowed and he turned to glare at the space beside her. Turning her head, she was pleasantly surprised that the old man had been saved too.

"What," her brother hissed, "gave you the bright idea to cross such a busy street without looking old man?"

"Tsk, tsk," the old man sighed. "Why are the youth today so rude? You should respect your elders, you know."

"Oh, I'll respect my elders when they learn how to cross a fu—"

"What my brother means to say is that it was very dangerous to cross the street without looking, even if you are an elder." It was better to break it up now before the cops were called for Kai assaulting the elderly. Wouldn't that be a way to start off the first day of school?

School!

"We have to go now," Nya blurted out, rising to her feet. She held out a hand for the old man which he gratefully took. "We're going to be late. Kai, come on!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he grumbled. The old man smiled at him and gave him a friendly pat on the back before walking away himself. The two paid no mind to him as they hurried back to the school.

Neither noticed the knowing smile the old man had on his face or the mysterious boxes in their pockets. That would come later.

* * *

Jay was not having a good day.

It started out fine enough. He was finishing unpacking his final boxes in the Walkers' new house. Shame filled him as he thought about how the move had come about in the first place.

Jay Walker was born in a junkyard—or so his parents had led him to believe. In actuality, he was dropped on their doorstep, abandoned by his real father, Cliff Gordon. Yes, Cliff Gordon, the actual movie star who played the role of _Starfarer_. It was enough to make Jay see stars himself. But that wasn't the worst (best?) part.

Cliff (not Dad, Dad was reserved for the man who actually raised him) wanted him back in his life. Jay Walker, a kid who grew up with constantly greased fingers from the oil of his inventions and whose sole character trait seemed to be 'annoying' (at least to himself), was _wanted_. And FSM if that wasn't intoxicating.

So when the letter came, asking him to pay a visit to Cliff, Jay jumped at the opportunity. A limo (a limo!) picked him up the next day and whisked him off to the bustling hive of Ninjago City. Jay was in awe of the towering buildings, the blinking lights, the various people. Ninjago City was everything and nothing like he expected.

He could say the same of Cliff.

The first meeting had been a bit awkward. It had been carried out in secret since neither Jay nor Cliff wanted the paparazzi to catch wind of such a juicy scoop. Jay had went for a hug but ended up with an uncomfortable fatherly pat on the shoulder. Yikes.

Jay and Cliff had spent the day in a sort of pseudo game of Twenty-Questions. Yes or no answers only, please. By the time Jay headed back, he was glad the day was over. And that his parents were the easy-going and open people they were. If Cliff had been any stiffer, he would have been a plank.

It was what followed after that changed everything. Cliff wanted him to visit more. Despite the awkwardness of the first meeting, Jay wanted to too. What could he say, validation was empowering. But here was the problem: Jay had to move to Ninjago City. The junkyard was just too far out for Jay to be ferried back and forth every couple of days.

It was then that Jay began to consider saying no. While he was ashamed to admit that having a movie star for a father(?) went to his head, the junkyard was his home. It was his _parents'_ home, it was their _dream_. He wasn't about to take that away from them. It wasn't until weeks later, when the red SOLD sign appeared at their front entrance, that Jay realized that his parents were willing to sacrifice anything for him.

He had wanted to cry, embarrassingly enough. His parents, his dear sweet parents, gave up everything for him. He didn't deserve them or their love but was grateful nonetheless. Leaving his home of close to fifteen years behind was bittersweet but the excitement of living in the city far outweighed that. Even his parents had seemed excited, chattering animatedly in the front of the car, occasionally throwing questions back at him.

Then everything went to hell.

The press had somehow learned of his existence. Luckily, they didn't know any personal information, just that he existed. But that changed all his visits with Cliff. The windows of the limo were to be tinted at all times, he was to always wear a disguise when visiting, he was never let out near his house and was instead stealthily accompanied by personal guards to his house. Being the son of a movie star wasn't fun, it was hell.

Jay had considered telling Cliff that he was done sneaking around. That he was coming out with the truth just so they wouldn't have to go through with these stupid procedures. It was the thought of his parents being swarmed by the paparazzi that stopped him.

So here Jay was, unpacking the last of his boxes despite living in the place for around a month now, thinking about how the first day of school would go. He had never been to school before, the junkyard being an isolated blip in an otherwise uninhabited desert. Sure there were other people who lived out there but it was in the neighbor-of-five-miles-away type. And the other kids had always called him weird too.

This was a fresh new start. A new place, a new school, an old name. Cliff had tentatively suggested Jay enrolled as Jay Walker-Gordon and Jay had turned him down so fast that he had whiplash. Not only was it stupid, the press were looking for him, but he wasn't ready to carry the mantle of 'Gordon.' He had always been a Walker and the thought of being something else threw him for a loop.

The sound of a car horn jerked him out of his reverie. Jay peered out of his window to see his Dad smiling up at him from the car. He laughed and Jay couldn't help but join him. His parents could always make him feel better.

Hurriedly throwing on his shoes, he practically fell down the stairs at the speed he was going. The Walker family was a breakfast on-the-go type family and Jay snatched the two pieces of toast waiting for him as he ran out the door. He yanked the car door open, slid inside, and buckled his seatbelt in the matter of seconds.

"Are you ready for the first day of school sweetie?" Mom asked him. He groaned at the embarrassing nickname.

"Mom," Jay grumbled. "Not out of the house."

She laughed at him. "Okay pumpkin," Jay gave another groan, "We wouldn't want to embarrass you on the first day, now would we?"

"We know how you teenagers worry about how 'uncool' parents seem," Dad teased.

"I didn't say that," Jay mumbled petulantly. "You guys are cool… sort of…"

That set his parents off into stitches but the school gloriously came into view. Giving them a quick peck on the cheek and a muttered goodbye, Jay leaped from the car and into the way of an old man.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," he babbled, bending down to help the elderly man up. The man had been carrying an armful of trinkets which were now scattered across the ground. "I wasn't looking when I should have and I'm really sorry about all this!"

The bell rang warningly in the background as Jay stooped to gather the man's items. He handed them back and the old man gave him a strange smile.

"Thank you," the elder said. "Not many young people stop to help nowadays. Please, take this as a gift for helping an old man up."

He held out a simple black box and Jay was hesitant to grab it. It seemed wrong to receive a gift over something that had been his fault anyway. But the elderly man insisted, so Jay took it.

Curiosity won Jay over and he opened the box. Inside sat a black ring with a series of engraved fireflies adorning the plate. It was beautiful in a simple way and Jay knew he couldn't take it. Raising his head to tell the old man so, Jay was astounded when open air filled the spot the old man was.

The bell rang again and he shoved the box into his backpack. Strange old men with their strange boxes could wait for later. Jay needed to get to school.

In the end, he was late for his first class. He stuttered through introductions and was assigned to a seat by HOLD UP. Who was this boy and why was he so handsome? Well, his eyebrows could use a trim, and so could his shaggy hair, but other than that he seemed like a long-lost member of a boyband… and slightly familiar. He also had a weird bracelet that seemed to be a… mole? Yeah, he didn't know what to think of this boyband reject.

"Hi, I'm Cole," Bushy-brows said, holding out a hand to shake. It was with that name when Jay connected the dots.

"Cole Bucket, right?" Jay said, snapping his fingers in realization. "The dancer. Twinkle-toes. I thought you went to Mary-Opera-Somethings."

Cole grimaced. "You too? Man, I thought nobody was into dance other than my dad. Nah, I transferred here this year. Tired of the dance scene, you know?"

"Nope," Jay cheerfully replied. "But I think we can talk about it more during the detention we're about to get."

Cole's eyebrows furrowed, which was both horrifying and hilarious to watch. "Detention?"

"Mr. Bucket, . Do you have anything to say to the class?"

Jay ended up with a mysterious ring from a mysterious old man, detention after school, and a surprising new friend. While it was definitely a weird day, there wasn't anything to qualify it as 'bad.'

Then the monster attacked.

* * *

Cole's day started like it always did: wake up, do his exercises, avoid his dad, eat breakfast, go to school. It was routine by now, almost like how he practiced his Triple Tiger Sashay. He always failed but he tried anyway.

Fortunately, his morning routine had a slight chance of success. It came down to whether his father spent more time getting ready to decide if 'avoid his bad' could be done. Hearing the merry tune coming from his father's bathroom, Cole knew that today would be successful.

Cole opened the fridge and pulled out a yogurt. While it wasn't very filling, it was healthy and quick—and Dad approved. He scarfed it down in a matter of seconds and looked longingly at the fridge. He could have another one but Dad might be down any minute now. It was better not to risk it.

Pulling on his shoes, Cole breathed in the morning air as he started his jog to his new school. It sent a thrill through him. Never again would he step foot in Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts. While he wasn't proud to admit it, he was glad that he forged his dad's signature. Otherwise, he didn't think Marty's would have transferred him.

Ninjago City High was the largest public school in Ninjago City. It was terrifying to think of and Cole was going to attend there. He had never been happier.

A tiny teashop on the corner of Fifth Street and… how would you pronounce that? Tot-al-lya—oh, nevermind. The tea shop caught Cole's eye and, against his better judgement, he decided to look inside. Maybe they had coffee cake.

An elderly man stood behind the counter. Cole approached warily, glancing around at the rest of the store. Boxes and boxes of tea lined the shelves of the store and Cole was hit with an epiphany: it was literally just a tea shop. Like, it sold nothing but tea. No cakes, no snacks, not even the wayward coffee. Just tea. He felt like a bit of an idiot.

"May I help you?" the old man asked. Cole jumped and frantically searched for an excuse. How stupid would it sound if he said that he came into the shop looking for cake?

"I-I'm just looking," he mumbled, embarrassment flooding his face. The old man had a twinkle in his eye that said he knew exactly what Cole came in for.

"Actually," Cole sighed. "I came in here for some cake. You wouldn't happen to have some coffee cake, would you?"

"Coffee cake, no." The elderly man smiled. "But tea cake? Yes."

Cole didn't know what a tea cake was and he didn't care. His mouth was already watering as the man brought out the cake, slicing a generous piece for the teenager. Cole reached into his backpack for some money when the old man waved him off. It was on the house.

"Are you sure?" the teen asked but he couldn't keep his eyes off the cake. The old man chuckled.

"Yes, I am sure," he said good-naturedly. "But while you are here, may I interest you in something else?"

Cole had already dug in at the sound of 'yes.' He paused his ravenously eating, fork suspended mid-bite, to look questioningly at the old man. He nodded uncertainly.

"Good, good," the man muttered as he disappeared in the back. Cole shrugged and went back to eating. There was the sound of clattering and faint murmuring as the elder searched for this mysterious object. Cole finished his cake at the same time the old man reappeared.

The old man held out a simple black box. "For you."

Cole took it suspiciously, eyeing the old man. While some people were generous, this seemed a bit too much. Carefully opening it, Cole stared blankly at the bracer inside it. In the middle was the face of a mole, its claw extending to make up the rest of the bracer. Out of everything he was expecting, which was admittedly very little, this was not it.

Then a mole jumped at his face.

Cole screeched and reeled back, dropping the bracer in the process. The mole clung cheerfully to his face and was talking happily about a new 'holder.' Wait, talking? Maybe the old man slipped something into the cake because there was a talking mole on his face and this was not how mornings went.

"Hi, my name's Sisen and I'm your new kwami! Wait, that's wrong, your my new holder and I'm very excited to meet you! My favorite color is pink like earthworms—do you like earthworms? I like earthworms—"

"Sisen, give the boy some space," the old man interrupted. Cole gave him a grateful look. Wait a minute…

"What are you?" Cole asked the mole. Now that he looked closer, he could tell it really wasn't a mole at all. It was just a tiny, floating creature that _looked_ like a mole… like that was any better.

"And you!" Cole turned to point an accusatory finger at the old man. "What. Is. Happening. Because? I'm kinda. Freaking out?"

The old man nodded gravely, like Cole had just uttered the greatest words of wisdom. "You have been chosen to be the leader of the new Miraculous holders."

"What," Cole dead-panned. Sisen gave a sudden squeal and leaped at his face again. Cole panicked for a second before he realized it was the little creature's way of 'hugging' him.

"That means we get to be superheroes and fight evil monsters!" the mole creature squeaked enthusiastically. "And you get this really cool costume that's modeled after a mole because moles are the best animal ever. Did you know—"

"Look," Cole broke in. "I'm willing to suspend my disbelief for what the floating mole creature is saying. But if, and this is a big _if_ , it's true, then why me? Why not somebody else?"

"Those are all good questions," the old man conceded. "That will eventually have good answers. For now, you must work on finding those answers yourself."

"And if I refused?" Cole asked bravely. The old man's face became flat and Sisen stopped joyously bouncing around.

"Then I'm afraid we'll have to kill you."

"Really?" Cole gulped. The old man leaned ominously forward.

"No," he admitted. "But I have always wanted to say that."

Cole had never felt a stronger urge to punch the elderly. Not that he ran around punching old people in the face but still.

"We'd just erase your memory and let you be on your way," Sisen cheerily said. "We wouldn't actually screw with your life. But it's being a superhero! With superpowers! Who could turn down that?!"

"Lots of people," Cole muttered, shaking his head. "Look, I'm oddly flattered but I'm not the right guy for the job. Just erase my memories and send me on my way to school."

"Of course," the elderly man said, stroking his bread. "We can do that for you. But do you really just want to attend school for a few months before being found out by your father?"

Cole's blood ran cold. How did this old man know about him forging his father's signature to switch schools? There was something deeper here and Cole was afraid to find out what.

Noticing the look on Cole's face, the old man quickly continued on. "Rest assured, I will not tell your father anything. I am simply pointing out a possibility. I believe that you may graduate Ninjago City High without your father finding out while the opposite might also be true. I also believe that there is a want in you, a want for something more. This is a something more Cole, but the question is, will you take it?"

His eyes seemed to burn Cole and fix him to the spot. He swallowed thickly and glanced down to the floor where the fallen bracer had dropped. Being a superhero sounded nuts but it also sounded way better than being a dancer forever in his father's shadow.

"I'll do it." The words popped out so easily that they surprised him. The old man seemed pleased.

"Then take the bracer and go to school. Sisen will assist you. Now go."

Cole nodded distractedly, grabbing the bracer and pulling it on his wrist. It fit snuggly, like it was made to fit him, and seemed to give a soft glow before going dormant. Sisen floated over to his sweatpants' pocket, snuggling inside the soft fabric.

He didn't even know he was walking until the sun hit his eyes. Throwing a hand up to shield them from the unexpected light, he looked around in wonder. People bustled to and fro and cars lined the streets. It seemed nothing in Ninjago had changed. He turned to look behind him and his breath left him. The tea shop was boarded up and looked abandoned.

Had everything been a dream? A crazy, tea cake-induced dream? But the bracer weighed heavily on his wrist and he could feel Sisen moving in his pocket. He stumbled away from the crazy tea shop and knocked into a blonde-headed teen.

"I-I'm sorry," Cole muttered, stepping back. The sun caught the blonde teen's body weirdly and Cole could swear he saw what looked like a metallic glint to it. But he blinked, and the glint was gone. "I wasn't looking were I was going."

"There is no need for apologies," the teen spoke formally but his smile was warm. "I was also not watching my surroundings. We are both at fault here so there is no need to apologize. But since you have already, I will too. I'm sorry."

Then the teen walked briskly away, leaving Cole to gape at him. He had been weird but nice. Movement in his pocket reminded Cole of the even weirder events that had taken place earlier.

"FSM help me through this day," he muttered, restarting his jog to the school. If he hurried, then he'd make it right before the bell rung. He wouldn't want to be late.

* * *

Zane Julien was on a mission. Ever since his father died a few months prior, he had been told to seek out an abandoned tea shop in Ninjago City. And who, you may ask, told him to do so? Why, none other than his dying father with a recorded message that had been played after his death.

Zane missed his father terribly, yes, but he had other matters to worry about. The first, and foremost, being his younger brother Echo. While Zane could pass for human, the younger android simply could not. It was not Echo's fault but rather the fault of his design. It was difficult leaving his brother behind in his father's basement but it had to be done. This mission was of the upmost importance.

If not carried out, it could mean the end of the world. Or, to a less drastic extent, the end of Ninjago City. Of course, it could also mean nothing at all but he would have liked to believe that his father's last words were meaningful.

Zane had also been enrolled in Ninjago City High, for a simpler but baffling reason: he needed to be more social. He didn't see why, he had Echo and his falcon for company. Echo also needed to be more social but the problems with that were highly apparent. So it seemed that Zane, alone, would have to take the horrific journey that was high school.

He didn't know how to feel about that.

But right now, the mission was on his mind. He had an inkling of where to go in his mind. His father had taken him there a numerous amount of times, actually, back when he was first built. He couldn't remember exactly where the store was located but he knew the general direction. His father had always been a very secretive person, which only confused the matter even more.

The Arts District of Ninjago was quiet this morning, Zane observed. The district was usually the busiest, filled to the brim with tourists and residents alike, but it seemed even the crowd was not willing to brave the morning sun when they had perfectly good beds. Either way, it made things much easier for him.

He started his search on Third Street. There weren't many stores on the street and all of them were open. On Fourth Street there were a few more stores and two abandoned ones, although none of them were tea shops. Fifth Street seemed to yield no results either until he bumped into a shaggy-headed boy.

The boy stuttered out an apology and Zane told him that it was not necessary as it had been both their faults. Zane really should have been paying better attention to his surroundings but the quest for the mysterious tea shop pervaded his mind. He glanced around as he apologized back and his metaphorical heart leaped when he caught sight of an abandoned tea shop.

Walking hurriedly away from the boy, Zane felt a bit of guilt. It might seem rather rude to suddenly walk away from a person. But manners could come later, after he complete his mission.

Now that he thought of it, why had the boy been in front of the tea shop? While it could have been a coincidence and the boy was only passing through the area, it seemed too intentional. Like someone had place the boy in front of the tea shop so that Zane could run into him and, in turn, find the tea shop himself.

It was times like these where Zane wished his mind did not process as methodologically as it did.

The store loomed above him, boarded windows gone and replaced with cheery signs and lights. One such sign advertised, "Buy two, get a tea cake free!" Zane didn't bat an eye at the abrupt transformation although he did wonder what a tea cake was.

The first thing the android noticed as he stepped inside was the amount of tea. There were tea boxes that lined the shelves, the counter, the entire store. It seemed like an extremely unhealthy obsession in tea, in Zane's opinion.

"Hello," an old man greeted, standing behind the counter. "I expect that you're here because of your father, Dr. Julien. Am I correct?"

"Yes sir," Zane answered, nodding respectfully. "My father told me it was of upmost importance that I find this tea shop. He explained about the Miraculouses and how one had been stolen a few weeks prior to today's date."

"And you do not find it strange that your father knew of events that would take place after his passing?" the elder questioned.

Zane shrugged. "My father had always had a 'sixth sense' that he could never explain."

"And you?"

He hesitated for a moment before replying. "I… am unsure. Sometimes I have strange dreams that seem to warn of events to come but I could never be sure. They seem so implausible that I cannot believe they will truly happen. But if they are true, I am afraid."

The old man inclined his head to the android. "Why are you afraid? What has scared you so much?"

The android's eyes became unfocused, seeing something beyond. A shiver wracked his body as the visions that tormented him so flashed before him. "I see a wolf who has lost his pack and the coyote who yearns to be a part of it. I see a heartbroken koi and the dying ember of a fox. I see a drowning mole and a firefly whose weak light chases away the shadows. And I see a falcon who…"

Silence filled the space between the words. It was human nature to find its own mortality a terrible and gruesome thing. An android, it would then be speculated, would have no such problem; being made of metal, not flesh, and wires, not bones, ensured that no natural mortality clung to their frame. But the fear, as old as the earth itself, of death was prevalent in all creatures, even those made not by the earth but of the earth.

The wise man said nothing because there was nothing to say. Being reminded of one's small existence is a frightening thing, one often better off in the darkness of night and in the warmth of one's own bed. Because in the darkness, fears are to be expected and extinguished just as fast. In the daylight, it becomes all too real.

The sad truth was that nobody lived forever, not even androids or their creators.

"And I see a falcon who does what he must," Zane finished. His fingers twitched, aching to do something, and his eyes felt raw. He had always wondered why his father felt the need to put in artificial tear ducts when crying served no real purpose. Now, he knew, it would be a cruelty to have not put them in.

The elder stroked his beard in thought. His eyes were full of sorrow for what was to be but, as he had said earlier to a certain kwami, worrying over tomorrow would not change today. Today he had the new Miraculous holders and could, hopefully, prepare them for the trials ahead. It would have to be enough.

"I am ready," Zane had spoken softly but when he looked up, his eyes were hard and determined.

The elder nodded and vanished into the back. A few minutes went by, Zane waiting pensively. Finally, the elder reappeared with a simple black box. Handing it to the android, he couldn't help but chuckle at the amazement on Zane's face.

Inside the box was a simple brooch in the shape of wings. The ends curved upward, like the brooch was taking flight itself. A dark blue gem with grey bands was inset in the middle. It was beautiful in a humble way.

"Hello, my name is Freus," a gentle voice whispered. Zane glanced up to find a small falcon-like creature hovering nearby. If he was surprised, he did not show it. Instead, he smiled warmly at the kwami and opened his hand for them to land on. The kwami landed softly and barely weighed a thing.

"Hello Freus, I am Zane. I take it you are the kwami of this Miraculous."

Freus nodded. "I am. You are the new holder, then? I've never had one such as yourself."

"There will be more time to talk later," the elder broke in. "For now, Zane must get to school before he is late. A tea cake before you go?"

Out of everything that had happened, it was the tastiness of the tea cake that surprised Zane the most. And the monster attack later, of course.

* * *

Kai was two seconds away from grabbing a guy, lighting him on fire, and getting expelled from school. It wouldn't have been so bad if was in class with a bunch of random ho-ha's he didn't know but Nya was here. It was the only class they shared (Algebra I), ironically.

Kai wasn't good at math. So sue him, it's not like he was the only one. He needed four consecutive credits for the core classes in order to graduate. Since he was entering as a sophomore, he needed to take a test to see if he knew the required material for freshmen in order to gain the credits. He placed all but one which was, wait for it, math. But instead of having him take the freshmen classes, a thought that made him shudder with dread, Ninjago High offered an ultimatum: take two classes of math, Algebra I with the freshmen and Geometry with the sophomores.

So here he was, in a math class with freshmen and his sister, wanting to punt a guy out the window. Why did he want to punt a guy out the window? Well, for one, the guy was hitting on his sister. Nya was rolling her eyes at him but Kai could see the small smile on her lips. She didn't _not_ like him, which set off alarm bells in Kai's head. If looks could kill, the guy would be dead a thousand times over.

He didn't even notice Kai! His starstruck eyes were for Nya only, it seemed. There was some boyband rip-off that was valiantly trying to get him to notice Kai but his efforts were also in vain. Lover Boy was head-over-heels and Kai was furious.

Kai didn't know why he was so mad. Nya had proved many times that she could handle herself. There was no doubt in his mind that if his sister knew what he was thinking, her wrath would be worse than Kai's ever could. But Nya was his only sister and his only family left; he wasn't about to (potentially) let her get hurt by some _boy_.

The teacher droned on in the background, completely ignored by the irate teenager. Kai's eyes didn't stray from Lover Boy much like how Lover Boy's eyes didn't stray from Nya. It was like a tea kettle; the more Kai stewed, the worse his mood got. He wasn't about to explode but he knew that he was going to say something soon, something harsh and undeserved… probably.

The bell rang, cutting off the teacher from whatever he had been saying. Students quickly gathered their things and shot out the door like the room was on fire. Kai's gaze refocused on Lover Boy and he saw that Lover Boy's friend was dragging him out the room. Smart move.

Stepping out into the hall, he couldn't help but mumble angrily to himself, too caught up in thoughts of confrontation to see the incoming crowd. He collided with something hard and fell to the floor.

Groaning slightly, he glanced around to see what he had run into. Kai spotted the culprit and nearly gave another groan. It was Karlof, the foreign exchange student that had apparently transferred here a few years ago. While he was a decent guy, he rubbed Kai's nerves the wrong way. And his accent was annoying.

"Watch where you're going," Karlof spat, rising from the ground. "Karlof no like hitting the ground."

"Yeah, well, Kai no like idiots that can't even speak right."

The fight only lasted five minutes and two punches. Both Kai and Karlof were given detention, although Karlof seemed to take it harder. Apparently, the girl Karlof liked was in the crowd of people watching the fight. Kai had felt bad until his eye gave another throb. Karlof threw a mean punch.

* * *

Coyote chuckled to himself. It had taken a while to gather up an army but it had been worth it. Now he already had his first victim, filled to the brim with anger and heartbreak. He stepped into his shadow and reappeared in the shadow of Karlof.

"You poor boy," he cooed. "Heartbroken and punished for something that wasn't your fault to begin with. Don't you want revenge against the ones who hurt you so? Don't you want your girl?"

"Yes," Karlof growled, a shadowy mask falling over his face. "Karlof want that."

"Then it shall be yours," Coyote cackled, "as long as you complete a small favor: bring me the Miraculouses."

A bit of his shadow wormed its way into a crumpled ball of paper in the teenager's hand. It was all that remained of the love note Karlof had planned to deliver this afternoon, not that it was no longer needed. The shadow transformed the teenager into a creature of steel with huge fists to crush his enemies to bits.

Heart of Steel smiled to himself. "Whatever you wish, Lord Coyote."

* * *

Nya was going to be so disappointed. He could already feel the sisterly disapproval from the detention room. Speaking of which…

Lover Boy was nervously cowering in the corner of the room. His friend, who was sitting beside him, had filled him in if the hissed remark of, "That's her brother!" was anything to go by. Karlof was still in the principal's office getting a talking to, since this wasn't his first fight. Kai settled grumpily in the back corner opposite of Lover Boy. Now it was time to wait.

The silence was boring. He wished someone would say something if only to break the monotony. He glanced up at the ceiling and began to count the tiles.

"So," Lover Boy squeaked, ignoring the frantic shaking of his friend's head. "You're Nya's brother. She, uh, talked about you, ha ha… She's a really cool, uh, person?"

"Oh my first," his friend muttered, facepalming.

Kai gave him a baleful look. "Yeah, she is pretty cool. Cooler than you, if you know what's good for you."

Lover Boy jumped and laughed nervously. "Right, right! I'll stay away from her, uh…"

Kai sighed, guilt and self-preservation from Nya finally making its way to the surface. "Look, I'm not saying to stay away from her. Nya can handle you just fine. Just…" He fidgeted and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Be good to her, okay? She needs a friend more than boyfriend," Kai admitted. Lover Boy seemed happy judging by the way he practically lit up, nearly leaping out of his seat.

"Of course," Lover Boy chirped, vibrating with excitement. "Nya already told me that but I couldn't help but try, you know? Even if it doesn't go anywhere, I'm more than happy to have her as a friend! I've never met another person who—"

"Okay motor mouth, I think he gets it," his friend cut in. He covertly elbowed Lover Boy in the side.

"Yeah, but just remember," Kai paused to threateningly crack his knuckles, "If she gets hurt, _you_ get hurt."

"Sure!" Lover Boy acquiesced, not looking put out in the slightest. "I kinda expected that already, to be honest."

Then a chunk of concrete flew into the room.

It landed with a sickening crunch in the middle of the desks, separating the boys. It was only luck that they had chosen the corner desks; if they had chosen the middle, they would have been pancakes by now.

Rolling out of his seat, Kai's back came up against the wall. A huge hole was left near the doorway of the room and seemed to be the only exit. Screams could be heard from the hallway as whatever wreaked havoc terrorized the students staying after for after school activities. He only hoped that Nya had gone home.

Since it looked like no other mysterious chunks of concrete were going to fall out of the sky, Kai stole around the piece that was now embedded in the floor. Those two boneheads had better be safe or Kai didn't know what he'd do. Even if he barely met them, he didn't want them seriously hurt, not even Lover Boy.

A flash of light caught his attention.

"Dig Deep?"

This day was about to get a whole lot weirder.

* * *

Nya sighed as she entered her house. Kai's mouth had always run on autopilot with little to no filter and she knew it would get him in trouble sooner or later. She should have known it would be sooner rather than later.

The upset sister threw her bag haphazardly down on the couch and flopped down soon after. Burying her face in one of the cushions, she let out a string of insults that would have had Kai avoiding her for the week. He was in such big trouble.

Nya turned over to her side and felt a sharp pain. Something was digging into her side and, grumbling irately, she fished around in her pocket for the source. Finding something solid, she pulled it out to inspect.

It was a simple black box that she had never seen before. Irritation forgotten in this newfound curiosity, she twisted it around in her hands. How did such a thing end up in her pocket? Eyes wide with fascination, she opened it.

Inside were a pair of earrings, to Nya's disappointment. She had been hoping for something flashier like a little gadget, not jewelry. But she had to admit, they had a certain charm to them. They were an onyx color and, if she looked closely, she could see a faintly etched carving of a fish lined with gold.

Shrugging to herself, Nya placed the earrings back in the box. Tomorrow she would ask around school if someone had misplaced them. She didn't know how someone could misplace something so bad that it ended up in another person's pocket but she had heard weirder. Like the rumor about tea cakes.

The teenager then did what every teenager did after school: watch TV. Nya wasn't ashamed to admit that she still watched kid shows but none of the good ones were on. Sure, _Juvenile Giants Go!_ was pretty hilarious despite being an abomination of a poorly-named but awesome superhero team. It all depended on your perspective but even she could admit that watching the same episode three times in a row took away some of the comedy factor.

It was as the teenager was channel surfing when the news, of all things, captured her attention. The anchorman, Gabe Gossip, looked pensive as a live feed played in the corner of the screen. The reporter appeared excited, talking about how this was her big break and Daddy don't you dare take this away from me.

Nya comically went "oh" when she realized who the reporter was. It was none other than Gayle Gossip, a girl she shared English and Ninjago History with and who was definitely not a reporter. No wonder her dad looked worried, Gayle was in the middle of a monster attack at the school.

Nya felt the blood drain from her face as the realization sank in. There was a monster attack, at the school. At the school where Kai was attending detention. Nya was already half-way out the door when a vibration in her pocket stopped her.

The weird box was shaking violently and began to glow. Nya hurriedly ripped it out of her pocket and held it at arm's length. As soon as her fingers had touched it, it had stopped its freaky lightshow. Now it sat dormant and she was hesitant to place it back in her pocket.

The glowing started up again but it didn't feel painful. Something compelled Nya to open it and, almost absentmindedly, she did. A fish jumped out at her, waving a sword.

The girl jerked back from the fish and nearly dropped the box. She looked at the creature with wide eyes as it floated around her. Then it spoke.

"You have been chosen to take the mantle of the Koi Miraculous," the fish stated with reverence. "Do so with valor, honor, and courage. It is—"

"I'm sorry, Miraculous?" Nya butted in. The fish appeared angry at the interruption but it was hard to take the creature seriously with that kind of face.

"The Miraculous, as I was getting to before you so rudely interrupted," the fish began, before once again being cut off by Nya.

"Rude."

The fish's eye twitched and Nya smirked. "The Miraculous is an ancient artifact that gives its holder immense power. The Koi Miraculous, which you hold in your hand, gives you power over water, spirit, and fortune. With it, you will transform into Koi, a heroic figure that has always been held in high regard. You need only say 'Splash Down.'"

"Splash Down?" she questioned.

The earrings dim light brightened to an intense degree and Nya had to shield her eyes. Seconds later, she felt them affix themselves to her ears and a bizarre sensation covered her body. It felt like she was wearing a second skin but it wasn't constricting at all. When the light finally died down, she gasped.

Nya was clothed in red and white samurai armor. Fins adorned the lower arm guards and the helmet was colored to resemble the head of a koi, its eyes resting above Nya's forehead. Gazing down at herself, she noted the webbing between the fingers of her gloves and that there were more fins on her shin guards. She felt the weight of a sword on her waist.

She was a samurai fish. Alright then.

When she turned to ask the fish more questions like, "What in first's name is going on?" she found that the fish was gone. Worry struck her and, finding that she couldn't get out of the costume if she tried, panic began to set in.

 _Calm down, it is only temporary. Your earrings mark your time, although you cannot see them. As soon as the koi's patches lose their color, the transformation will wear off._

That pulled her up short. "Fish! Where are you? What happened? Why—"

 _I know you may have many questions but now is not the time. Your brother is in danger, correct? We must hurry to the battel._

"But what can _we_ do about it? I don't know if you noticed but I'm just a regular. Sure, a girl who makes mechs under her brother's nose—"

 _What._

"—but other than that, I'm completely normal! What can I do that can be of any help?"

 _You are Koi. You have the power to do anything_ —a stream of water burst from Nya's glove and she watched, mesmerized— _you want. Within reason of your capabilities, of course._

Nya hesitated. While if it was true and the suit did give her powers, Kai would not approve. He may be overprotective but Nya valued his opinion. However, she knew that if Kai was in her shoes and _she_ was the one stuck at school while a monster raved, he wouldn't think twice about throwing himself headfirst into danger.

Well, that made up her mind.

"Let's do this," Koi declared, running towards the school.

 _Indeed._

* * *

Cole's day was strange. Just. Strange. So strange. The strangest of the strange.

Currently, he was huddling down with his new friend Jay and praying that whatever had thrown the concrete they were crouched beside would go away. It wasn't like this hours ago.

Initially, he had been pretty ticked at Jay and himself for landing them in detention. But pretty soon he had warmed up to the excitable guy, who tried his darnedest to make him laugh. Cole had to admit, the guy was funny when he wanted to be. Although, he could stand to lose the puns.

Jay was a nice guy and Cole didn't want him in this mess. Sisen was burrowing into his side, broadcasting that this was his time to shine, if only he could just get away first. As he searched for an excuse for why he suddenly needed to go (other than, you know, there's a monster on the loose and I'm outta here, that would be rude), Sisen's patience ran out.

"I swear to first if you don't get your butt out there right now, I'm dragging you myself!" the mole creature erupted, shooting out of Cole's pocket to ram himself into Cole's face. Jay gave a gasp and Sisen stopped and slowly turned around.

"Oh my first," Jay breathed. His eyes were bright with wonder and his smile seemed to stretch across his entire face. "This is like in the animes. Are you an alien that came to earth to give Cole superpowers to destroy an evil galactic organization along with his plucky sidekick? Am _I_ the plucky sidekick?" Cole was worried that Jay would start bouncing soon with the level of excitement he showed.

"Not exactly but you're close," Sisen admitted.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Jay's face abruptly went blank. "Does this mean Cole has to wear a skirt?"

"No!" Cole sputtered as Sisen replied, "Maybe." The two stared at each other before Cole ground the heels of his palms into his eyes.

"I did not sign up for this," he groaned.

"You also didn't sign up for our friendship and look where it's gotten us!" Jay cheerily countered. "Detention on the first day! Now that's true friendship."

"Let's just get this over with," the former dancer sighed. "Sisen, what do I do"

"You just got to Dig Deep!" the mole creature chirped, mimicking digging with his claws.

"Dig Deep?"

 _That's the spirit!_ Sisen cheered as Cole felt an odd sensation overcome his body. It was like being wrapped in a warm comforter, snug but not suffocating. A flare of light engulfed him and he nearly tripped over himself when it died down.

He was wearing a dark brown sleeveless vest and puffy pants. Wrappings extended from the end of the pants down and slipper-like boots adorned his feet. A bandana covered his head and reminded him vaguely of a cartoony pirate. On his hands were brass-knuckles that extended like, obviously, the claws of a mole and the bracer seemed to multiply as two now sat on his arms. Finally, a mask in the shape of a mole's snout covered his nose and face.

Jay snerked. Cole felt greatly embarrassed and exposed. All his dad had to do was turn on the news to see his son fighting crime in a mole costume.

 _Don't worry, the magic prevents anyone from knowing it's you unless they see you change like Jay did._

"Does it also prevent me from embarrassment?"

… _I think the costume is cool._

"Of course you do."

"Not to interrupt your, uh, conversation or anything but what just happened."

Both boys snapped their heads up to the unexpected speaker. Nya's brother awkwardly stood in a pile of rubble with large eyes. Cole wanted to curl up and die; not only was his costume embarrassing, no matter what Sisen said, but he was also failing at keeping his secret identity.

Thinking back on it though, he didn't actually ask if he had to keep it a secret, did he? On the other hand, it seemed like basic Superhero 101: you kept your _secret_ identity secret.

Kai continued staring. "Is your bag vibrating?"

It took Cole a moment to realize he was talking to Jay. Indeed, Jay's bag was vibrating and the own went to unzip it. A box similar to the one Cole had received this morning zoomed out and struck the teenager in the chest. He could hear the 'oomph' as Jay crashed to the ground.

"What the underworld?" Kai hissed. Cole's eyes darted back to the irate boy and gaped as another box shot out of the boy's pocket. Thanks to quick reflexes, Kai caught the box before he suffered the same fate as Jay. Said boy gave a groan from the ground.

"You have Miraculouses?" Cole was dumbfounded. Was this the supposed 'team' he was supposed to lead?

"What's a Miraculous?" Jay questioned, still on the floor. Kai looked ready to burst with questions himself. Before anyone could speak any further though, the room began to shake.

"Get down!" Cole ordered, pulling Kai to the ground with Jay. Bits of the roof began to fall as the shaking worsened. Cole's mind raced as he tried to figure out how to protect the two teenagers beneath him.

 _Quake!_ Sisen screeched. Cole felt a sliver of frustration run through him.

 _Quake?_ he thought. _I know it's an earthquake! How is that gonna fix anything?_

 _Not that kind of quake, dummy!_ Sisen hissed back. _It's one of your powers. Quake, the small power of controlling the earth. Now hurry up or you're going to be flattened like moles under a golf cart!_

"Here goes nothing," the novice hero muttered to himself. "Quake!"

At first, nothing happened. Cole feared that he must have done something wrong and was about to try again when the air around them started to vibrates. Bits of rock and dust began to swirl and create a dome around the three. It looked like a flimsy shield but when a piece of the ceiling smashed into it, the shield held fast.

Eventually, the shaking died away, the monster presumably leaving this area of the school. A collective sigh of relief went up.

"That was so cool!" Jay chortled, slapping Cole on the back. He winced upon hitting the solid muscle but it couldn't dampen his enthusiasm. "You were like Gorro from _Noruta_ with the sand trick. Is that a natural born talent or is it exclusive to the suit?"

"Wait, before you get off track, what about those boxes? Did you run into the weird old man too?" Cole needed to know if they were actually Miraculous Holders, as the old man had called them.

"I didn't even know this thing was in my pocket," Kai admitted. He gazed down at the box with a furrowed brow and a frown. "But now that you mention it, I did run into this weird old man this morning…"

"Me too," Jay chimed in with a grin. "I wasn't looking where I was going and, like all my decisions in life, crashed into this old man. He was weird but really nice and gave me this box. I had completely forgotten about it until you brought it up. Does this mean we'll get cool superpowers too?"

"I think?" Cole answered. Jay was practically jumping in place with enthusiasm but Kai was contemplative. A scowl soon fixed itself on the messy-haired boy's face.

"I'm sorry but I'm not playing superhero," he growled. "I have to look after my sister. What if something happens to me while I'm busy messing around with you guys? Who's going to look after her then? I'm sorry but I'm out."

Cole winced but could understand where he was coming from. If Cole had a sibling, he was sure he would feel the same way. As it stood, maybe his father would finally notice Cole accomplished something that he was good at if he went down blaze of glory style.

"I understand but keep the box. I don't know why but I feel like you might need it."

Kai was ready to object but instead shook his head in disbelief. "Yeah, okay. Whatever you say Mole-Man."

Cole glowered at the nickname. "No. What is it with you people and nicknames?"

"Yeah, he's obviously Knuckles the Mole," Jay snorted. Kai had to fight the grin that came to his face as Cole's look darkened.

"I'm through with you people," Knuckles declared, stomping out of the room through the convenient new exit made a la monster. He could hear Jay yelling behind him about his Miraculous and swore that Kai was laughing.

This day couldn't get any stranger.

* * *

Zane's first day of school was unremarkable until the monster attack. His classes were informative but a tad boring, except for his hour block of welding and his web design class. He could do without his physical education period, to be honest.

During English, though, his teacher had made the wonderful announcement about clubs. As long as you had enough members, and principal approval, you could create any club you want. Zane found the concept fascinating and found himself outside the principal's office after school.

In the back of his mind, he felt a thread of guilt. Attending a club would mean that more of his time would be taken up at the school, leaving Echo to wait by himself longer. Zane didn't want to do that to his younger brother but he had to try to fit in here. A robotics club seemed like the perfect idea. Besides, he was already working on a solution to fix Echo's problem. It would take some time but time was something both brothers had plenty of.

( _Except you don't_ , a voice whispered in the back of his mind. He ignored it.)

Standing outside the principal's door, Zane felt quite content. There was no immediate danger and his school life seemed to be doing just fine. The other teenagers liked him and nobody appeared to be the bully type.

Karlof, Zane recognized him from this morning, stormed out of the principal's office. It was so abrupt that Zane had to scramble to get out of the furious transfer student's way. He wondered what could cause such ire when the principal called him in.

The plans for the robotics club went smoothly. The principal gave Zane his approval and warned him that at least four other members had to join. He wasn't worried though and already had a couple people in mind.

All in all, it had been a good day, he reflected as he stepped out of the school.

A chunk of mortar went sailing over his head and skidded across the ground. He instantly went on the defensive and whipped around. Screams erupted from the school and more deadly hail rained down around the building.

The android quickly scurried around the side of the building, ducking into the bushes. He opened his backpack and Freus flew out. They nodded to each other and Zane uttered the transformative words.

"Chill out!" He felt a bit silly saying it but Freus had pointed out earlier that the kwami did not choose the words. Nevertheless, he felt a bit of relief that no one was around to hear him.

A brilliant radiance encased Zane as a thin blanket settled on his frame. Opening his eyes, he was surprised at the outfit. It was a kimono with drooping sleeves that were patterned with silvery white feathers. Whenever he moved them, it appeared as though he had wings. The hakama was patterned similarly with feathers around his ankle and shin area like the legs of a bird, a cute bow securing the hakama in place.

A mask in the shape of a falcon's beak covered the lower part of his face. His wooden sandals clacked as he stepped forward, the weight of the mask offsetting him for a moment. He arms pinwheeled for second as he redistributed his balance and he finally noted the steel fan in his hand.

 _I am sorry,_ Freus apologized. _Falcon's holders are usually women. I can change the costume if you wish._

"No, it is fine," Zane replied. It honestly didn't bother him that the costume was more feminine. They were just clothes, after all.

 _If you're sure._

Falcon nodded and broke cover to run to the school. He felt his sleeves flare out and a thrill coursed through him. It had felt as though, for a second, he had taken flight.

He sprinted down the English hallway and took a left. The noise seemed to be concentrated towards the back of the building where the monster likely was. He rounded the corner of the hallway and bounced back as he collided with another person.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," the person exclaimed. "Not another one!"

Falcon glanced up from his sprawled position to the person in front of him. It was the scruffy hair that helped him place who the person was. He had shared the hour block of welding with Kai earlier in the day and that hairdo was simply unforgettable.

And clenched in Kai's hand was a simple black box.

"You must be another comrade," Falcon inferred, reaching forward to grasp Kai's hands. The other boy seemed shocked at the action but Falcon made no move to let go. "Come, we must hurry."

Falcon dragged the unwitting teenager to his feet, keeping a tight grasp on him. He set off down the hallway again and Kai staggered to keep up.

"Wait a minute!" he cried, nearly falling to the floor in his efforts to keep up. Falcon halted abruptly and Kai couldn't stop in time to avoid crashing into him.

"You are right," Falcon admitted. "I apologize for my rashness. You have not even changed yet."

Kai huffed from the floor, a bolt of irritation shooting through him. "And I'm not going to change anytime soon birdbrain. I'm not in your little superhero club."

"No but I was wondering if you would join my robotics club," Falcon stated blandly. "Sadly, I do not think you have a choice now that I have dragged you here. The monster will be arriving in one minute. I apologize for my thoughtless actions, I assumed you were also on your way to help."

"Well you know what assuming makes you," Kai snarled but he pushed his anger away (and ignored Falcon's reply of, "no"). If the monster really was coming, then it would probably be in his best interest to put on the stupid supersuit. But only this once.

Opening the box, he was puzzled by the necklace that laid inside. A round pendant hung on the end of the chain in the shape of a fox curled into a ball, its tail resting against its snout. He cautiously put the necklace around his neck and wasn't even surprised when a small fox creature appeared before him.

"You look fun," the fox creature giggled. Kai could already tell that he was going to like him… not.

"Whatever, tell me the magic words already so we can get this show on the road," he snapped. The fox creature laughed again.

"It's 'I'm a loser,'" the creature tittered, floating out of Kai's reach. Kai rolled his eyes.

"Uh huh, and I'm the king of Metalonia," he snarked back. The fox creature howled with laughter and floated back down.

"I like you," the creature gasped through his chuckles. "It's 'Fire Up.'"

"Fire Up?" Kai questioned. A blinding light flooded him and he swore in surprise. It was a warm feeling and it swathed his body, reminding him of his father for whatever reason.

Once he saw his outfit though, he nearly swore again. "No."

Kai was fed up with the ridiculousness of the situation. He was wearing a traditional ninja outfit that was colored a dark orangish-red with white on the wrist, ankle, and waist area. A rope secured a sword to his waist and was colored to look like a fox tail. A fox mask concealed his face but the usual ears that came with it were seated in his hair. What kept them there, Kai didn't know but he did know that he wanted them gone now.

It was at that moment that the monster chose to attack.

* * *

Jay was ecstatic. That had spilt up with Kai earlier, the other going off to the English hall as they headed towards the monster. Cole (who he was now calling Knuckles because it was too funny not to) had shown him how the Miraculous worked and he met his own creature companion Lummi. Lummi was the sweetest lightning bug-thing ever and Jay just wanted to hug her until the day was over. Duty calls though.

Cole had remarked that his outfit might be lame but Jay scoffed. He could pull off any outfit, he told Cole, even a pair of thigh highs. Cole said that he didn't want to know. In the end, his costume was totally awesome and Cole pouted out it.

It was obviously modeled after old airplane pilots. An aviator hat covered his head, tinted goggles obscured his eyes, and a black scarf fluttered over his shoulder. Pockets covered the blue cargo pants that encompassed his legs. His blue leather jacket fit comfortably and his wings fluttered on his back. That's right, wings! How awesome was that? Cole had pointed out that they were firefly wings so they looked more girly and fairy-like but Jay didn't care. He had wings and Cole didn't so he could go eat some dirt.

The best part of the costume was the pair of black boots that came up to his mid-calf. It reminded him of the thigh highs. Cole said that now he _really_ didn't want to know.

And his weapon? A hooping scepter! Yer a wizard, Jay.

"Lightning Bug and Knuckles, off to save the day," Lightning Bug sang. Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"Stop calling me that, it sounds stupid," the mole groused. Lightning Bug laughed at his expression.

"You know you like it," the firefly teased. Knuckles was about to give a smart reply when the wall in front of them came tumbling down. A man of steel stood in the rubble, his giant fists glinting dangerously in the sunlight.

"Welp," he said instead. "I think we've found our monster."

Lightning Bug seemed to lose his bravado for a moment before regaining his nerve. He was slightly shaking but managed to pose dramatically. "For Love and Justice, the awesomely suited superhero Lightning Bug! In the name of the stars, I will punish you."

Both Knuckles and Heart of Steel stared at him. Heart of Steel glanced at Knuckles but the superhero shrugged.

"I don't know you," Knuckles declared. Lightning Bug deflated a bit.

"Oh come one, you must have watched _Seafarer Star_. It's a classic!"

"Sorry but no. And you should probably watch out for that fist coming straight to you."

"That doesn't sound like a good show," Lightning Bug remarked before being tackled by Knuckles. The mole swore that this guy would be the death of him.

"Heart of Steel does not have time for chitchat," the monster bellowed. His missed hit cracked the linoleum floor. "Heart of Steel go talk to Gayle. Get revenge on _Kai_. Get Miraculous."

"Whoa there big fella," Knuckles said nervously. "Doesn't that seem the teensiest bit like you're going overboard?"

Heart of Steel glared down at the two superheroes, finally noticing the strangeness. His eyes narrowed as he took in their appearance. A shadow crept over his shoulder and whispered something in his ear.

"I don't think shadows are supposed to do that," Lightning Bug muttered to his fellow superhero. Knuckles shot him an incredulous look.

"You two!" the monster abruptly roared, causing them to jump. "You have Miraculous! Heart of Steel want!"

"Lightning Bug don't want!" the superhero shrieked, rolling out of the way of another punch. Knuckles appeared beside him and in sync they lunged away from the monster.

It was fairly easy to dodge Heart of Steel's attacks. He was mostly limited to punches so they simply had to keep moving. However, they were being forced down the hallway with each consecutive punch and there was no time to launch an attack of their own. They needed a distraction.

"Icy Wind!" a voice cried out and a flurry of snow pelted the monster. A falcon and fox themed pair of superheroes materialized beside Lightning Bug.

Heart of Steel faltered in his attack as he wiped the snow from his eyes. Lightning Bug saw his opportunity and the words rose from his throat unbidden.

"Flashlight!"

A bolt of lightning leapt from his scepter to Heart of Steel's chest. The monster fell back heavily and his breath laboriously puffed. The weird shadow from earlier creeped up his body again.

"Lord Coyote!" he screamed. "Miraculous Holders are too strong for Heart of Steel!"

The shadow whispered something into the monster's ear again. He began to smile evilly. "Yes, my lord. That would work perfectly." Then he turned and ran.

"He's getting away!" the fox shouted, speeding after the fleeing monster. The others quickly followed, Lightning Bug catching up in no time.

"So what's your name?" he asked. The fox glared at him.

"Really? You ask that now?"

"I'm just trying to make conversation," Lightning Bug defended. He paused for a moment before smirking. "You know, if you're having trouble thinking up one, I can help you. I named Knuckles over there."

"Hey!"

"No thanks," the fox replied curtly. "I already have one."

"What is it?"

"…alright, I don't. But that doesn't mean you get to give me some stupid name."

"Mozilla Firefox is a perfectly fine name."

"Someone take him before I do something I won't regret."

"My name is Falcon," the falcon added from the back.

* * *

Koi arrived at the school in record time. Keeping to the side, she skirted the building cautiously. The monster had to be here somewhere and she had to find it before it found her.

Thankfully, the brightly colored idiot brigade seemed to be doing a fine job of distracting the monster.

She wasn't going to question the 'why' or 'how' of these other superheroes. She could barely believe that she was one herself. But her brother was in that building and she was determined to protect him.

"Hey ugly!" she called, stepping out of her hiding place. She shot a jet of water into his face. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

* * *

Jay was entranced.

* * *

 _What do I do?_ she asked the fish, rearing back from the explosive rage of the monster.

 _My name is Sammu. You have to find where Coyote has placed his shadow. It will usually be in an object close to the possessed. After you find it, break it to reveal the shadow. Only the Lightning Bug Miraculous Holder can dispel the shadow with his light. Your Good Fortune will help find the solution, though, and will erase the damage done by the akuma._

"Got it," Koi said. She was preparing another stream of water when malevolent screams tore through the air. Hordes of skeletons appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Koi bit down a curse.

"I am Samukai! Leader of Lord Coyote's skeletal army!" a large skeleton declared. Lightning Bug laughed.

"Well, we have a…" he searched around, his eyes alighting on Koi. He paused with a questioning look on his face before he grinned triumphantly. "A Samukoi!"

The pun was horrible. It shouldn't have made her laugh as hard as it did. Lightning Bug lit up at the sound. Literally.

"Dude, you're glowing," the mole told him. The bug just gave a dreamy sigh. The fox shook his head. Oh well, better this 'Samukoi' than his sister.

"Enough!" Samukai snarled. "Heart of Steel, focus on taking the Miraculouses. We skeletons shall distract them."

The skeletons swarmed the band of heroes and Samukoi quickly lost track of everyone. She blocked a blow of a bone with her arm guard and sliced a skeleton in half. It did little to faze him but at least he wasn't getting back up soon. In the background, she could hear the sounds of the others calling out their moves.

 _Use your Samurai Spirit._

With no hesitation, she hollered, "Samurai Spirit!" She felt strength flow through her arms and legs and she charged the mob of skeletons.

Ducking and slicing, soon the area around her was littered with bones. She glanced around and saw that the others were having no trouble either. She searched the battlefield for Heart of Steel when someone bumped against her. She whipped around and drew her sword.

"Hi," Lightning Bug squeaked. Samukoi huffed and sheathed her sword.

"Yes?" she asked, still searching for Heart of Steel. Lightning Bug gazed at her with adoration, though it went unnoticed.

"So you seem like you know what you're doing," he began. "And I was kind of wondering if you knew what the game plan was?"

She broke off her search to look at the superhero with surprise. "You mean you haven't asked your guardian thing yet?"

 _I am a kwami…_ Sammu muttered. Samukoi ignored her.

"Oh, uh, I haven't tried," Lightning Bug chuckled weakly. "Let me try that, right, uh, now."

His face took on the appearance of intense concentration before it smoothed into one of amazement.

"I'm supposed to get rid of the shadow thing," he said in wonder. Then, in fear, "I'm supposed to get rid of the shadow thing! Isn't that something a main protagonist should do? I'm more of a plucky sidekick." His wings fluttered frantically and his hands seemed to have a life of their own as they waved about.

Samukoi felt a flash of pity for the distressed bug in front of her. She placed a calming hand on his shoulder and smiled sympathetically at him. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do great."

The bug gaped at her. His eyes sparkled at the marvel in front of him. She was amazing, no, she was…

Miraculous.

"Oh brother," the fox snorted. The peanut gallery had arrived.

"Next thing you know, he'll be writing sonnets," the mole added, nodding his head sagely. The falcon looked confused.

"Why would he write sonnets?" he questioned. The fox gave a tired sigh.

"Help me!" a girl shrieked. In all the commotion and teenaged chatter, Heart of Steel had gone unnoticed. Now he had climbed the school with Gayle under one arm. Strangely, he climbed with only one hand, the other tightly clenched around something. They hadn't noticed it earlier as the akuma had only been punching but it obvious now that he held something in his hand.

"Falcon, Firefox, distract man of steel over there," the mole ordered. Falcon and Firefox nodded, already leaping up the building to battle the brute.

"Lightning Bug, Samukoi, Sisen tells me you two have the power to stop this guy," he continued. The addressed heroes nodded in assent, hurriedly filling in the acting leader on their abilities with help from their kwamis. He mulled over a plan of attack before giving a decisive nod.

"Samukoi, I want you to call out your Good Fortune and go for his hand." He pointed to Heart of Steel's shut fist. "I think that's where the shadow's hiding. Lightning Bug, you follow her and get rid of the thing when it pops out. I'll go help the others with the distraction."

Final nods were given and the small group broke. Samukoi scaled the building with ease with her newfound strength. Shouts of, "Icy Wind!" and "Fox Fire!" soared through the air as she reached the top.

Falcon and Firefox had cornered the akuma against the front of the school. Gayle was still shrieking but Samukoi noticed that her phone was still recording. Amazing. She had to admit, the teenaged reporter had dedication.

Knuckles joined the two superheroes in attacking the akuma as Samukoi focused on calling on Good Fortune. It was a lot more taxing than calling forth a jet of water and she was beginning to sweat with the effort. A hand laid itself on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do great." Lightning Bug eyes twinkled as he threw her words back at her. She gave an exasperated groan but couldn't hide her smile.

"Thanks, I needed that." She took a deep breath and grabbed her sword. "Good Fortune!" She threw the weapon up into the air and mid-way it transformed into a prize ball. It hung in the air for a second before splitting open to reveal a lightning rod.

"A lightning rod?" The samurai didn't even notice her sword returned as she pondered the object in her hands. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"I hope you find out soon," Lightning Bug squeaked. "Because here comes Braceface and he's not happy!"

The two superheroes leaped to the side as Heart of Steel barreled towards them. Gayle was safe with the others but the akuma had set its sights on Samukoi and the item she grasped.

"Heart of Steel want rod!"

The akuma lunged toward the samurai and she rolled to the side. Getting to her feet, she knew it was only a matter of time before the akuma eventually caught her. She needed a plan to get away from him and to get whatever he was guarding in his hand.

"Try this on for size!" Lightning Bug yelled, brandishing his scepter in front of his. The weapon crackled with electricity. "Your next line will be—"

"I swear to first if that's another anime reference, I'm beating you up myself!"

The puzzle pieces slid into place. "That's it!"

"What, bad anime references?"

"Hey!"

Ignoring the idiocy around her, Samukoi threw the rod to Heart of Steel's shut hand. "Hey Buckethead! Head's up!"

Heart of Steel saw the attack coming from a mile away. Smirking, he caught the rod easily. "Is that all the puny girl has?"

The 'puny girl' smiled. "Lightning Bug!"

"On it! Lightning Strike!"

A bolt of lightning rained down on the unsuspecting akuma, striking the lightning rod. His metal body did him no favors as it amplified the electricity shooting through him. He gave a short scream before falling to the ground. The smell of ozone filled the air.

The superheroes gathered around the fallen villain. It took some prying but Knuckles was able to extract a wad of paper and the lightning rod from the akuma's grasp. Lightning Bug anxiously hovered a few inches off the ground.

"Tell me we didn't kill him," he groaned, pulling at the bit of his hair that stuck out from under his hat.

"You didn't kill him," Falcon answered, kneeling to check the akuma's vital signs. The bug gave a moan of relief and Firefox motioned for Falcon to stop. The falcon stared at the fox in confusion and the fox gave up. Falcon continued. "But you have shocked him with a strong enough burst of electricity to send him into a coma."

Firefox facepalmed.

"WHAT?!" Lightning Bug yelped. "Shouldn't we get him to a doctor then? A doctor will know what to do but what will our story be? We found him on the side of the road—"

"Or we can finish our jobs and fix this whole mess?" Samukoi suggested. Knuckles muttered a quiet, "Thank you."

"Right, finish the job," the bug gulped. "Soooooooooo—"

"We're not killing him," Firefox exploded in exasperation. "Do your light show thing that the stupid kwa-mi is telling me about."

"Oh that!" Lightning Bug mood switched in a heartbeat and the others were mildly disturbed. "We have to find the shadow first though, don't we?"

"I think I found it," Knuckles finally spoke up. He held up a wad of paper that looked like it had seen better days. A dark mass of shadow seemed to surround it.

The mole ripped the paper up, scattering the pieces. The shadow slid off the pieces with a sickening _squick_. It reformed itself into a tiny blob that would have looked cute had it not looked so evil. The superheroes gave a collective face of disgust.

"Yeah, you handle this," Firefox said, pushing Lightning Bug toward the dark mound. The bug swallowed nervously.

"Here goes nothing," he chuckled weakly. "Guiding Light!"

A dim glow started in his scepter and they watched with awe as it soon became an orb of light. The shadow hissed as the orb descended upon it but soon began shrieking in terror as the light seared it away. Soon, all that was left was the hard stone of the roof and the light faded away into nothing.

"Wow, that was anticlimactic," Knuckles remarked. Lightning Bug blushed but the mole clapped him on the back good-naturedly. "But it was appreciated. Thanks zap-trap."

"Oh, it was nothing," the bug smiled before catching on to the rest of the mole's comment. "Wait…"

"Samukoi, if you will," Knuckles motioned, ignoring the irate bug. The samurai chuckled at the scene before throwing the lightning rod into the air.

"Miraculous Koi!" she shouted and a school of koi filled the air, fixing the damage of the fight. The teenagers watched in wonder at the changes around them, including Heart of Steel turning back into Karlof.

Beeps began to fill the air and the superheroes were momentarily confused until their kwami mentally filled them in. They gazed at each other uncertainly until Firefox spoke up.

"All of you except samurai over there know who I am already so I guess it really doesn't matter," the fox reasoned. The others seemed fine with it except the mentioned samurai.

"I… don't think we should reveal ourselves, even if most of you already know each other," Samukoi countered. "For the few of us that aren't known, it could be dangerous to reveal ourselves to each other. Who knows what we'll go up against and what will happen to our friends and family."

The others seemed ready to argue but thoughts of their family wormed their way to the surface. Lightning Bug thought of his parents, both adoptive and biological, and how much they would sacrifice for him. Knuckles thought of his distant but caring father and how he loved him regardless of his sometimes thoughtless actions. Firefox thought of his feisty and loving little sister, his only living family left, who he swore to protect. Falcon thought of his younger brother and his falcon, two young lives that still didn't know much of the world. And Samukoi thought of her stubborn, overprotective, brave older brother, who challenged the world to protect those he loved.

A somber hush fell over the group. Beeps filled the air again and, glancing solemnly at each other, they each turned and went their separate ways until the next fight.

* * *

Later, Kai and Nya would arrive home at the same time. Kai would worry for a bit before Nya would reassure him that she simply stepped out for a bit. Then she would counter that it was Kai that they should be worried about since he was at the school when the akuma attacked. Excuses would be made and neither sibling would guess the other's secret.

Jay would arrive home to a pair of worried parents and seven missed phone calls from Cliff. He consoled the two and called Cliff back, lies of having hid in the detention room rolling off his tongue. Guilt weighted him down but he had a job to do. After all, if no one protected the city, who would protect his parents?

Cole would come home to a quiet house, his father busy at work singing and dancing. His father wouldn't see the news until later, after Cole had gone to bed. He felt relieved but a dark sensation settled in his stomach. Would his father even care? Then he would shake his head. Of course his father would care, he loved him. Even so, Cole waited for his father to arrive home, only to fall asleep at the kitchen table.

Zane was ambushed by a concerned younger brother and agitated bird as soon as he walked through the door. He quickly soothed the two anxious family members and enjoyed the rest of the day with them. However, behind closed doors, his thoughts couldn't help but drift back to his visions earlier in the day. Remorse filled him as he pondered how true his reassurances were. A falcon must do what he must, after all.

But there was one thought they could all agree on: Together, they made a pretty miraculous team.

* * *

The alley the shadowy raced down was dark and dingy. He had escaped a similar dark and dingy place earlier and was never going back. He would never be someone's chewtoy again.

Peering out of the alley, he spotted the place he had been searching so long for. Wu's Tea Shop was an oddity, sometimes appearing abandoned and other times appearing brand new. It was home to someone who would be sympathetic of situation, at least.

The figure hurried over to the store, stopping only to look around one last time before plunging into the shop. The inside was silent, almost horribly so, and the figure tiptoed to the counter. Seeing no one there, they stealthily hoisted themselves up and over, disappearing into the back.

They quickly made their way to the fridge, mouth already watering at the treats hidden in its cold embrace. They were confused by the weird cakes that lined the top shelf but shrugged. A cake was a cake.

Grabbing a slice, they made their way to the only room they knew of in the shop. They cracked the door open and saw no one. Again, they shrugged. They knew the owner was a busy man and sometimes he would leave for days on end. They could wait for him to come back. They had a lot of experience in that.

A glow lit the room and the figure watched with wide eyes as a pin in the shape of a wolf floated towards them. The cake laid forgotten in their lap.

"Woah," Lloyd Garmadon breathed, hands reaching up to take the Miraculous. "What is this?"

* * *

And deep in the darkness, a coyote felt a pang of sadness. It must have been his imagination.

* * *

 **Notes:** **If I ever continue this, it will not be as a oneshot. Sad to say, I already planned a full AU, I'm just hesitant to write it. I'm trying to get the finishing touches on my Epic AU when this Miraculous AU just comes butting in. Don't ever be a writer kids.**

 **Here are the highlights of why I choose the animals and symbolism and stuff:**

 **Jay: LIGHTNING, ROMANCE, Fireflies are said to house the souls of the dead.**

 **Nya: THE SAMURAI FISH, SAMUKOI**

 **Kai: MOZILLA FIREFOX, Let's just go straight up anime with this**

 **Zane: Prophecy, it works so well**

 **Cole: LISTEN, E-A-R-T-H, Apparently a guide to the underworld lol 'ghost', I FORGOT IT COULD ALSO BE READ AS 'DRAGON' IN JAPANESE HAHAHAHHAHA**

 **Extra: Dareth is that one senior mentor who regularly talks to the underclassmen. Everyone agrees to humor him but almost immediately regret it when they're stuck three hours in and no end in sight to his 'going-to-the-grocery-store' story.**


	4. A Fever Dream For the End of the World

**Title:** **A Fever Dream For the End of the World**

 **Summary:** **It's the end of the world. Spoilers for Wrong Place, Wrong Time and the ending of Skybound but a bit of canon divergence. Alternatively, timelines don't just disappear, they** _ **merge.**_

 **Characters:** **Kai, Jay, and Nya**

 **Pairings:** **Jaya but it's not really touched upon in the way you'd expect.**

 **Theme/Inspiration:** _ **Goodbye To A World**_ **by Porter Robinson. It's an amazing song and I'd recommend you listen to it as you read or just give it a listen in general.**

 **Words:** **2,123**

 **Warnings:** **Canon Divergence, Spoilers for Wrong Place Wrong Time and the ending of Skybound, Dark fic, Body Horror in Jay's part, Srsly it's dark, Canon Character Death, One line that could be read as suicidal-ish but that's bc the character was supposed to be dead and doesn't like how they came back, This Oneshot Is NOT HAPPY, Something Worse Than Death, Spoiler: Kai almost dies**

 **Notes:** **I thought about why Nya disappeared in Wrong Place, Wrong Time and how the other ninja would probs get flashbacks but wouldn't fully remember Skybound and this thing popped out. Please don't read if any of the above warnings will affect you. This is not meant to be happy. It's also shorter than all the other chapters and hard to follow but I purposely wrote it this way.**

 **On a completely unrelated note, there's a poll on my profile for a oneshot that's coming up. It's important that you vote because it will greatly influence the oneshot. Here's a hint: FIGHT or MERCY. Enjoy and, again, please be cautious when reading this fic. It's not too bad but I don't want anyone to be hurt or otherwise affected by it.**

 **EDIT: An edit before this chapter was even uploaded, smh. I'm sorry to those who saw the updated summary but were confused when there was no chapter. I haven't been able to upload anything for days because of the internet out here. I received a "Page cannot be displayed" every time I tried to upload this to doc manager. So I'm sorry for those of you who had to wait. Please enjoy.**

* * *

It's the end of the world.

That's what it feels like to Kai at least. There was suddenly another him, two Garmadons, and Nya was disappearing. He watched his sister fade away and slip through his fingers while his double battled on in the background. If this wasn't what the end felt like, he didn't know if he could handle continuing.

Then something happens because there are suddenly doubles of Cole, Jay, and Zane and he knows they're not _his_. Their body language is all different from what Kai's grown to expect (Zane is stiff, Jay is a bit anxious, and Cole is distant and they're _not_ ) and a blinding light fills the space between now and then.

He's fading too, like Nya. He can feel the world around him slip away even as the other them, the other _him_ , disappear. The world is ending and he screams out in outrage. It wasn't fair that he had to disappear when the other him got off scot-free because he wasn't _him_.

What happened to doomed timelines anyway? Do they get erased or…

He wants Nya. He wants Nya and Dad and Mom and the other Ninja and Sensei Wu. The world is ending and he's alone and he wants to be loved in his final moments. At least the others had each other.

Then the world **S_T_O_P_S**

(His chest burns as he struggles to breathe because there's no air left in the world, everything is dead, no it's worse, everything is GONE—)

and sdniwer

(Back, back to that day everything changed, Nya was kidnapped from the monastery right? No, wrong, she never was but the world rewrites, rewrites, rewrites and everything is something Other now, it isn't his world anymore—)

and _fastforwards_

(Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years play out and he's a silent passenger to it all, hovering on the edge of existence and oblivion and someone help him _Nya_ —)

and he wakes up with a scream buried in his throat, chest heaving and eyes streaming.

Everyone is talking at once but he can't hear the noise over his own heartbeat. His shoulders ache from the tight grip Cole has on them and Jay is shining a flashlight in his eye. Lloyd looks sick and Kai wants to tell him to go lay down but he fears that if he opens his mouth all that would come out is an awful wail. Zane sits beside him, listing off something but he catches the word 'heartrate' and 'temperature.'

Nya is nowhere to be found.

(She cries out and reaches for him but as soon as he's got her she fades away and then the world is ending—)

"We'll get Nya!" Lloyd shrieks as he runs out the room. Kai blinks and finds himself pressed down onto the bed, Cole gripping his arms and Jay his legs. Zane is talking rapidly, too rapidly to follow, and runs a calming hand through his sweat-slick hair.

She appears a little above Cole's shoulder. Her eyes are blank and wide and he can't see her feet. Words trip off his tongue like fallen soldiers (sorry, sorry, sorry) and he sobs for her not to disappear even as her waist begins to vanish. She mouths out two words that break him, "Your fault."

Shouting fills the air and Kai realizes he's never heard Zane scream like that before. His vision dims and the shouting turns to far-away echoes. Vaguely, he can feel hands on his chest going up and down but it's so far away. His mind is fuzzy and everything is too hot and too cold and too fragile.

At least the world isn't ending.

"Kai!" she cries out and reaches for him but this time, as soon as he has her, she stays in his grasp. The haziness dissipates for one glorious moment and he can see her in full clarity. She's safe and here and he's safe and here and no one is disappearing.

The world isn't ending. He sinks into the darkness with that burning thought.

* * *

Kai wakes up in a hospital bed with a sore body and a worried family. They told him that Zane had discovered that he had a fatally high fever and they had rushed back to Ninjago City as fast as they could. It took hours though and he was delirious and fading fast and Cole claimed that they even had to hold him down at times. Eventually they made it to the ER but it was touch and go for a while.

Kai apologizes but Nya calls him an idiot for it. It doesn't matter whether or not it was your fault, she says, people get sick. It's something you can't avoid. (But it was his fault, he remembers her saying that.)

In the end, everyone is just glad that Kai is okay. He would have to spend an extra day or two in the hospital and nobody even wants to think about the bill but as long as Kai could get better, it was worth it.

Kai, for his part, couldn't remember much. The thought of the world ending was one thing he remembers, for some bizarre reason, and so was the thought of Nya disappearing.

(He floats on the line of reality as the other him sits on a hospital bed but wasn't he him and wasn't the other him he? Where does one 'he' begin and where does one 'him' end? Is there any difference or are all 'he's' and 'him's' and 'she's' and worlds disposable? They're not the same but the world insists they are and he cries out in anguish, in misery, in fury. His wrath is inconsolable and the other him sits on a hospital bed feeling a ghost of a ghost.)

It was one hell of a fever dream.

* * *

It's the end of the world.

Jay never wanted this.

They stand on the edge and look out. Blankness stretches out before them, eating away at the world around them. They should have done better, been better. They should have been the heroes but it seemed that fate doesn't work that way. There are no heroes because they were all dead. Nya could attest to that.

Jay never wanted this.

"Your wish is yours to keep."

Jay never wanted this.

Nya is the first to go and Jay misses the weight of her body as soon as it happens. Kai shrieks as she disappears, all "Why, why, why?" and "Again, again, again?" Then Lloyd gives a tired sigh and he's gone too. Cole is panicking, Kai is fighting, and Zane is sad.

Jay never wanted this.

"I'm afraid that—" Zane begins but disappears mid-sentence. Kai becomes a halo of light as he melts away, lava pouring out of his eyes and mouth. Cole looks to Jay and Jay wonders if he would be crying right now if he wasn't a ghost.

Jay never wanted this.

"I guess this is goodbye," Cole mutters with a sorrowful smile and Jay reaches for him. His hand slips through Cole's not because he disappears but because Cole can't calm down enough to become solid for one precious moment.

Jay never wanted this.

They fumble for a moment before Cole surges forward and encases him. It's not quite possession but Jay can feel Cole at the border of his mind and finds comfort in the company of another. Tears flow down his cheeks and he realizes they're Cole's by the hiss of pain that escapes his mouth. He's reminded of the little mermaid who turned to seafoam when Cole disappears. It's jarring in the moment between Cole being and Cole not and Jay flounders in the space. He turns to look at Kai.

Jay never wanted this.

Kai has become a puddle of regret and the space around him is scorched. He was determined to burn through time and burned out instead. Jay kneels down and ignores his burning flesh as he reaches through the lava to the last remnant of his family. Tears flow again and give a slight hiss as they evaporate at the touch of the lava.

Jay never wanted this.

"It'll be okay," he whispers and Kai gives something so broken that it couldn't be called a smile. His hands have burned away and pain blossoms and blood gushes but he tries with all his might to make his brother's last moments the most reassuring they can be. He can't tell lava from blood anymore.

Jay never wanted this.

Kai disappears with not a bang or a whisper but with nothing at all. There's no fanfare or accompanying crack afterward. There's nothing and Jay finally screams his grief to the ending world. He wants to go back to the time when Nya was still alive and he fought with his brothers for peace and when the world was alive.

Jay never wanted this.

It's the end of the world.

Jay never wanted that either.

Then he's in front of Nya (alive Nya, breathing Nya, talking Nya) and jubilation overcomes horror at the thought of being alone at the end of the world. She grabs his hand and they practically float together.

Jay never wanted it to end. Too bad he doesn't exist anymore.

"I remember."

Jay wakes up with a gasp and jumps up. His head slams against the top bunk and he falls back with a groan. His head aches even more now and he hears someone grumble something along the lines of, "Jay, go back to sleep," with more cursing. It was probably Kai.

He rolls out of bed and stumbles to his feet. They carry him out the door and into the kitchen. His mouth has that horrible morning-mouth dryness so he grabs a glass of water. The kitchen table rattles as he plops down in a nearby chair.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

Jay jumps as Nya settles down in the chair across from him. They both give a weak grin but they both know it's fake. It's hard being the only ones who remember but ignorance is bliss and they don't deserve that.

(He failed and she died and it's all his fault. He doesn't cry or scream or even say a single word. He lingers because if he failed, what's to say that this Other him won't too? So he lingers and makes _him_ remember because he doesn't deserve not to remember. He always knew he was nothing.)

"My head hurts," he admits and Nya frowns at the bluntness. She reaches out (she reaches out for the only one in this—that world that mattered and he can't grab her and she disappears with her last sight being the terrified expression that looks so wrong on his brave face) to feel his forehead and draws back with a wince.

"Jay, you're burning up," she says. "You should be in bed."

His head lolls forward like a puppet with broken strings. He wants to lay down and sleep but he worries that _he_ (the tightrope of being is cruel and unjust and you pay for your mistakes and failures with yourself, _he_ sobs) would continue to haunt his dreams.

"Do you think the world could end?" he asks with an openness that only came from sick and tired people.

She (shrieks _yes, yes, yes_ as she still reaches out for him and she quietly whispers _yes_ as she dies and goes to move on but is pulled back, back, back to life but she's not actually alive) opens her mouth to retort, because of course the world won't end or, at least, not for a while, but all that comes out is, "Why do you ask?"

He shrugs and turns glassy eyes to her. "I think the world has ended (is ending). Or is it that it will end since it happened in the future but in the past for us? Urg, time travel isn't cool, it's dumb."

She doesn't correct him on the fact that they didn't time travel, not exactly, and focuses on getting him on his feet instead. He sways like a dandelion and she fears she'll have to be the one to catch all the wayward seeds.

"I saw you die," he laughs and it cuts her like the jagged edge of a knife. "And then I saw you disappear. Everyone disappeared and the world was ending. Are you sure we're alive?"

She (claws at the surface, _let her out, let her out, let her out,_ and wants to see him and she sobs that she would have preferred dying to this) shakes her head and lets out a long breath.

"Don't worry Jay, it was just a fever dream."


End file.
